Outside Looking In
by Catgirl-of-Bavaria
Summary: Her mother had come from a very large, illustrious family, and their main estate was here in this town. Minagi Kurosaki finds more than family in her new town...Even if it was the last thing she wanted
1. Green Eyes

-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: Alright, then, here goes the first Fruits Basket fan fiction that I've written in a while! (I looked back on my previous ones, ack, I like one, but it's a little overdone, alas…the other one is a total cliché of Kyo/tohru, so you won't be seeing them here…) Anyway, Outside Looking In, I'm hoping that this one isn't cliché, I'm having fun writing it so far I hope you guys have fun reading it as well!

A little note on the setting I've chosen here: You'll notice later, but I've chosen to write this in the timeframe of Yuki, Kyo and Tohru being in the third and final year of high school, Haru and Momiji in the second. Hee, I hope I write this alright…If you notice any errors or anything, you can point them out, that's how oblivious people like me learn from their mistakes, lol.

On to the disclaimer! ---I do not own Fruits Basket, if I did, I would be very, very rich. .:Looks in her wallet:. Alas, only 36 dollars. See? I'm not rich! Leave me alone, lawyer people! –However, Minagi-chan is indeed of my own creation! .:Raspberry:.

Chapter 1- Green Eyes, Violet Eyes

"The third time I've switched schools…" She murmured to no one, watching the large school ahead of her grow as she walked.

Wavy hair trailed behind her in a lengthy ponytail, in a brown color so deep that it was nearly black. Her green eyes sank to stare at the sidewalk, thinking about how this first day would go. There had been far too many first days of school for her liking; there was the very first of course, then the first day at her new grade school, when she'd first switched. Then the first day of junior high, then when she'd switched to a different junior high. The first day of high school, and now, fittingly, her first day at this new high school. She'd switched once every level of school, now. Perfect. At least there was a pattern in her life, for whatever it was worth.

She let out a little moan, remembering all the moving her mother and her did, all the schools she'd gone through, all the faces that she'd known not even long enough for them to bother becoming a true friend. All the teasing she'd faced, incidentally, at each and every school. Why was it so common, at every new place she moved, for the kids to give her grief about anything and everything?

Minagi Kurosaki thought she was just as normal as everyone else, she thought that she was no different than anyone who teased her, except for the fact that her mother was always on the move, all over the island of Japan. She worked far too much, her job took her everywhere, and being only barely sixteen years old, Minagi had no choice but to be dragged along every few years.

Her mother said, however, that there was some family in this new place. Her mother had come from a very large, illustrious family, and their main estate was here in this town. Apparently she thought her daughter would be more excited to move this time if there was to be kin waiting there, but Minagi was near desensitized to any such promise.

"We'd just end up moving again as soon as I got close to anyone, anyway," She told herself and the sidewalk. "That's what always happens."

She turned into the school grounds, watching other kids her age, in identical uniforms run around, talk, and tease each other before the school bell would call them in for class. She saw a great number of people who'd look adequately friendly, who may even want to be her friend, not tease her. Some caught her glance as she walked by, giving her back a slight smile in polite greeting.

She walked past them all, straight to the main entrance. She walked in, looking at the hallways, contemplating which to take to get to her class room. She glanced at her watch through her cheek-length bangs, deciding that she had a good half an hour before class would actually start. That being confirmed, she started off in a random direction, pacing past gaggles of students, self-consciously smoothing out her uniform every now and then. She had only dug it out of her box of clothes that morning. She wouldn't have been surprised if it had a great and obvious crease in all the wrong places. Such was her typical luck. One time she'd even been unfortunate enough to sit straight in a lump of chewing gum that someone had left in the seat, probably on purpose, knowing her previous acquaintances. That skirt had been ruined, even with an hour of trying to clean it out at home, and she never lived that down at that particular school. Sufficed to say, she wasn't that disappointed to have left that time.

She suddenly paused, coming out of her reverie, and staring at her surroundings.

"I think I'm in the totally wrong part of the school…" she muttered awkwardly, noting that the classroom in front of her was labeled 3-C. Obviously a third year classroom, not a second year, as she was looking for.

"Where'd I take a wrong turn?" She murmured, just before admitting with a furrowed brow that she hadn't even set off in a logical direction to begin with.

A glance at her watch told her that she'd wasted a whole twenty minutes just wondering around aimlessly, with her mind on her past dealings with school. She looked in all directions, stranded in the middle of a strange hallway, watching as others passed around her, obviously knowing their path.

She couldn't even bring herself to ask anyone for help, for Minagi was too shy a girl, not to mention she'd just end up wishing for friendship with whoever she asked-if they helped her, anyway- and friendship, she had learned, was just painful to a girl that was constantly on the move.

"It's best if I don't…" She told herself, firmly but regretfully. That was the last thing she needed; more baggage to take with her once her mother grew tired of the town or took another transfer.

"Excuse me," Her eyes shot up from the tile she was so fixated on at the sound of a velvety voice that floated from a little further down the hall.

She looked at the boy, who was a fair foot taller than her, noting how stunning he looked. There was no other way to describe it, he looked… beautiful. She blushed furiously, thinking of how he'd react if he knew the adjective she'd just connected with him. Guys didn't like to be called beautiful.

There was no way around this, though, it was what he was. His grey mop of hair hung gracefully in his face, the left side was slightly longer than the right. The uniform he wore perfectly stated his gentle figure, giving him an almost delicate appearance. His eyes were the most stunning of all, they were somehow a deep violet color. She briefly wondered if he wore those trendy contacts that made your eyes a different color than they really are. They couldn't be that color naturally, right?

"Are you lost? Do you need some help finding something?" The boy asked her, his pale face showing her some gentle compassion. He hadn't seen this girl in the school before, she was quite obviously lost.

"Um," Minagi managed to say, finding her own eyes still attached to his abnormal ones. She quickly tore her gaze away, not wanting to come off as a strange girl who found him attractive…Though she admitted that was exactly what she was. Her eyes found then, a cuff around his upper arm, attached with a safety pin to his uniform sleeve.

"You're a class officer?" she looked at him again, knowing what the cuff meant. He smiled with a tilt of his head, draping his hair almost cutely to a perfect frame of his face.

"Yes, I'm the student body president," He answered her, finding her expression and large green eyes positively cute. She didn't seem like the other girls of the school; even other new girls would turn into more members of the "Prince Yuki Fanclub" as soon as they merely laid eyes on him. But she, she seemed to be treating him…normally. He inwardly smiled even broader.

"If you need help finding your classroom, I can probably show you where to go," He suggested kindly.

Minagi thought about it for a moment, apprehensive, but glad to have someone to direct her. He was only the president; he probably helped everyone who was new, right? It didn't mean that she had to become friends with him just because he helped her out. It was standard for the student body president to help those who were new. She wasn't anything special. Just another new kid.

"Ok," She agreed, deciding that direction was something that she greatly needed at the moment, despite any possibility of wanting to befriend him.

"Great, what's your name? What class are you looking for?" He approached her, peeking onto the paper in her hand, the one that told her what her classroom was.

"Ah, I'm Kurosaki Minagi…I need class 2-B…" Minagi told him shyly, indicating the class on the paper.

"Alright, I know exactly where that is," The boy smiled at her, while turning them both around to head down the corridor that she'd wondered up just previously. "I'm Sohma Yuki; it's a pleasure to meet you, Kurosaki-san." He turned his head to give her another dazzling smile.

Minagi slightly blushed, and headed after him, only vaguely noticing a group of girls that had been lurking behind them for some time. But that name…Sohma…It sounded familiar, somehow.

She followed him down a flight of stairs, and down another strange corridor, noticing how every girl they passed seemed to abandon what they were doing to take a look at the boy in front of her, the boy named Yuki.

"Yun-Yun!" One random girl sing-songed as she bounded over. Her eyes were probably too bright, her attitude too energetic for her own good. "Kimi was hoping to find you before class started, Chibi-suke is being really mean again!"

Minagi stared, wide eyed, almost hiding behind Yuki as the girl tugged hyperactively at Yuki's arm. The girl suddenly noticed the young girl behind her friend, and her eyes grew impossibly larger.

"Ooh, Yun-Yun, Kimi thinks you've got another stalker!" She exclaimed, putting an index finger to her bottom lip.

Minagi drew back slightly at this remark. What the heck did she mean by stalker?

"You should leave Yun-Yun alone, he has important president things to do!" the girl apparently called Kimi released Yuki's arm and came to tower just slightly over the confused Minagi her hands on her hips.

"Kimi-san, please," Yuki grumbled, sounding evidently annoyed, but also trying to hide said annoyance. "She's a new second year; I was only guiding her to her classroom."

Minagi looked, relieved at Yuki, who was now focusing on Kimi, almost scolding her using nothing but his eyes.

"And what do you mean, important president things to do? There's not a meeting this morning, is there?" Yuki asked her.

"Oh! Kimi came to tell you!" Kimi exclaimed, her hyper, happy self again. "Kuragi tore the room apart again, and Nao is really mad! He's making her clean it up right now!"

Yuki's expression suddenly turned to something of suppressed alarm, his violet eyes widening.

"What about Kakeru, where is he? Has he talked to her yet?" Yuki asked urgently.

"Kimi hasn't seen Manabe all morning…He must have slept in again…" Kimi said in a whiny type of disappointed voice. Yuki's look turned a bit darker, as he glanced down the hallway, in the direction of the student council room.

Minagi could only stare from the sidelines, quiet and confused.

Yuki noticed the girl he'd found upstairs again, and turned to her, and taking a few steps in the direction they headed in before Kimi interrupted. He paused just as he came beside Minagi, and turned to Kimi, a serious look of command on his face.

"Kimi. Go back there, keep Nao under control somehow. I'll be there in a moment." He told her firmly, his eyes full of that seriousness. Kimi looked at him for a brief second, before nodding and whirling around, scampering down the hallway. Yuki turned again to Minagi, and immediately softened his expression.

"I apologize for that, Kurosaki-san, Kimi-san is a part of student council as well…We merely had an incident, it'll be taken care of," Yuki told her, inwardly hoping he could manage to do something for Machi Kuragi in Kakeru's stead. "But I'm afraid we'll have to hurry you to your class now."

He set off, Minagi closely following, like the lost puppy she was. Minagi, after a while, saw the small sign over the door in front of them, one that read 2-B, and thankfully smiled. Yuki led her all the way up to the door, before stopping to bid her a goodbye.

"I'll have to leave you here, then, Kurosaki-san. If you ever need anything else, I'll be glad to help you out." He gave her another smile.

"Th-thank you, Sohma-senpai!" Minagi managed, pulling herself down into a deep bow. With one last tilt of his head and a smile, Yuki turned and headed hurriedly down the corridor, off to solve whatever incident that the council had to deal with.

Yuki ran his hand through his hair, inhaling a nervous breath. He had no clue how to talk to Machi in these situations, he had always left it to her brother, Kakeru. But no more comforting was the fact that Nao was taking charge of the situation in both Kakeru and Yuki's absence, which could not lead to anything promising.

His thought wondered vaguely back to the girl he'd left behind, Minagi. He grimaced slightly, knowing that he'd definitely not be the last Sohma that she'd meet that day.

Minagi watched as Yuki's form grew smaller and smaller all the way to the end of the hall, and sighed slowly. She glanced to her side, at the sliding door that led to her new class room. She noted a line of windows between it and the hall, and decided to scope out whatever classmates were in there at the moment, to see what she would be working with.

She hadn't even taken two steps toward that window, when she was alerted by a tap on the shoulder. Turning, she found three girls standing dominantly before her, the lead with two pigtails on either side of her head, all three wearing looks of distrust and accusation.

"Hey, new girl, just a warning," the pigtailed girl told her, leading Minagi's eyebrows to raise slightly. So it begins, she told herself bemusedly. "Just because Yuki gave you help doesn't make you special, ok? So don't let it go to that pretty head of yours."

Minagi merely stared at the indignant girls. Maybe these were some of Yuki's actual stalkers…

The bell tolled above them, giving them the five-minute warning for class. The pigtailed girl glanced at her peers, then turned a grimace to Minagi.

"Have a nice day, Green Eyes." They sneered at last at her, before turning towards their classroom.

Minagi stared after them as students rushed around her, pouring into classrooms, rushing to get across the school. It had happened a little earlier this time, but sure enough, her curse of teasing had followed her to Kaibara high.

She had no intention of spreading that curse to the friendly older boy, Yuki Sohma, either.


	2. A New Record

-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-: eek, sorry for the late update, I've had a lot on my plate recently…Though I don't think anyone's really read this story yet, due to the lack of reviews…T.T

Anyway, for any who do read this, please enjoy, and leave a review! They are much loved and appreciated! Arigatou! –Bows-

Chapter 2- A New Record

Minagi shrugged off her strange encounter with the trio of girls and slid open the door to her room, looking immediately to the sensei for direction. The woman at the desk in front smiled at her and beckoned the girl further into the room. Minagi obeyed, keeping her head and eyesight down, not wanting to connect to any of her new classmates.

"Welcome to class 2-B, Kurosaki-san," the sensei bowed slightly to her. The bell rung above them, and the chaos in the room settled.

"Alright, let's get going, shall we?" The teacher cheerfully turned to the class. "I told you yesterday that we have a new student, and here she is. Everybody, please welcome Kurosaki Minagi." She stepped aside, surrendering Minagi to complete view of the class.

The class gave a monotonous, but welcoming hello, some giving smiles, even. Minagi couldn't be won, though; this was how it started at her other schools too. She settled for her age-old ritual of smiling politely, with a slight bow.

"So, where shall we put you, Kurosaki-san?" The teacher asked, more to herself.

"Sensei! Sensei!" A cheerful voice called up from the row of desks nearest the window that displayed a cloudless sky to them. "The desk behind me is empty!"

Minagi glanced at the source of the exclamation, and paused, stunned, at the second beautiful boy she'd witnessed that day. This boy had shining blonde hair, enormous brown eyes, and an angelic face caught somewhere between being cute and handsome. He was literally leaning in his seat, practically bouncing with excitement.

This puzzled Minagi.

"Ah, alright then, you may sit behind Momiji-kun, then…" The sensei said, almost taken aback. The beautiful boy called Momiji's smile widened, his messy blonde hair glinting majestically in the sunlight.

Minagi paced to her new seat and settled in; trying to ignore whatever looks the class was giving her and the blonde boy. The boy whirled around to face her, giving her a slight start.

"Hi, I'm Sohma Momiji!" He beamed, quietly introducing himself as the teacher began her lesson.

Looking closer at his eyes, she found they were just as deep and expressive as Yuki's.

"Wait…Sohma?" Minagi gasped, hearing the same name twice in not even half an hour. "But the president…He's Sohma…" Minagi stammered, trying to fit the pieces together. Maybe they were brothers?

'It'd explain their eyes and the name, but they look nothing alike!' she told herself frantically.

"Ooh! You've met Yuki!" Momiji lit up even more. "Yuki is one of my cousins, and—"

"Momiji-kun, would you kindly pay attention to the lesson, and not socialize?" The teacher scolded gently from the black board.

"Oh, yes, gomen, sensei!" He gave a last wink to Minagi before spinning back around in his seat and scribbling something into his notes.

Minagi stared at the back of his blonde head, wondering what on Earth had just happened to her. No one had ever done that, talked during class to her, on her first day, no less. No one had ever winked like he did, nor smiled so genuinely as he and Yuki did. Why would they warm up to her so quickly, these Sohma boys?

Sohma.

That name was still tugging at something in the back of her head, like a memory forgotten, but just on the verge of being recalled. She found the boy's mop of blonde again, realizing she'd been gazing at it for a while now, completely ignoring her first lesson, not a thing written in her notes.

"Eh…?" She silently moaned, finding herself completely lost in the current discussion.

She blushed, and wondered why she'd been staring at him, of all places to stare. It was just that the blonde hair in front of her was so luxurious in color and texture, from what she could visibly see. It was wavy, just like hers. An unusual combination for Japanese; blonde and wavy.

Blonde meant good luck. And, just from what she'd seen, she'd say that assumption was probably right. This guy seemed to be brimming with cheer and good feelings.

Probably faired better in his life than she did, she predicted. He definitely tended to show it.

Shaking herself again from her trance on his hair, she scolded herself for trying to make such calls on someone she'd only just met; that was probably how her bullies got started on her, making false assumptions about her without really trying to understand her. The last thing that she wanted, aside from friendship, was to become like those people in any way. She shouldn't even be thinking about him to begin with.

She tried to focus on the teacher's lecture, forcing her brain to take in every word, forcing her pencil across her paper discerning whatever information was most relevant to study later on in her new room, on her desk that was surrounded by boxes loaded with her belongings, her life.

"…The Shinsengumi's goal was to rebuild the Bakufu and lead Japan on the way to exclusionism," Minagi heard another student somewhere near her answer one of the sensei's questions, and immediately wrote the tidbit down, remembering already having learned it at her last school. She recalled that she actually had this in her notes, somewhere in one of those boxes in her room.

"Exclusionism…" Minagi inwardly narrated, scribbling down the word into her notebook.

That was her; she was just like the ones fighting in the 19th century for exclusion, for isolation from the rest of the world. That was all she wanted in this school, to be isolated from everyone else, to put up those walls that helped her deal with moving around so much. She had always liked the topic of the Shinsengumi in Japanese history, and now she even knew why.

With her head in her palm, Minagi glanced out the window, finding that this discussion was leading into a place that she had extensive notes already in her home. Her green eyes lidded slightly, out of either boredom or exhaustion, watching as birds fluttered about, mingling with each other in a tree not too far from the windows. The teacher's voice still dispensed familiar information and seemed to fade into the distance, along with whatever answers the students supplied to her questions.

Her eyes lidded completely after a while, letting sleep bait her. Letting her mind come up with whatever it may.

'Once upon a time, God told all the animals,' her mother's voice rang through her mind, reciting an old tale that she'd told Minagi when she was young. 'I'm inviting you all to my banquet tomorrow. Don't be late.'

'The next day, twelve animals showed up, and they all became the animals of the Chinese zodiac, and promised to forever stay by God's side.' Minagi felt herself slipping slowly into sleep, listening to her mother's voice as if she was a five year old, hearing the bedtime tale all over again. 'The cat, however, was left out, for the clever rat had tricked him.'

Minagi saw the image of a downtrodden ginger cat, disappointed that he'd been lied to and left out of the banquet, and out of the zodiac as well.

'The clever rat had tricked him…' The last words echoed again through her head, before another image came to her inner eye.

With deep, violet eyes, the image stared at her, and she saw the vague outline of a rat's body around those eyes in the darkness. Such familiar violet eyes…

Out of the darkness, the rat's form dissolved into that of a boy. A very familiar boy, with those same eyes. His grey hair hung delicately in his face, over those eyes that now seemed to carry some sort of cunning, that cleverness that her mother had credited the rat of the Zodiac story with.

"Soh…ma-san?" Minagi murmured into her desk, still partially asleep, but coming back to reality.

The bell tolled over the classroom, bringing her dream and the image of Yuki Sohma to an abrupt halt as her head shot up from its newfound nest in her arms. Looking around her, the other students were bustling about, packing things up, preparing to leave the classroom. Glancing at her watch, Minagi realized it was just about the right hour for lunch.

With a heavy sigh, her head fell with a muffled thump back into her arms.

'Why on earth am I remembering that story now?' She vaguely wondered to herself as she blindly sent one of her arms in search of her bag, somewhere on the floor. Fumbling with the material of the handle, she finally pulled the thing up to the desk with her. 'And what the heck was Sohma-san doing there? It was like _he_ was the rat!'

She made a note just then to smack herself upside the head. How ridiculous, Yuki Sohma, the rat of the zodiac! How could that even be possible? She chocked this odd implication to the randomness of her brain; it had probably just pulled up something random from her memory-that being the bedtime story- and something that had only just recently happened-that being Yuki Sohma, the boy she'd only just met in the hallway- and stuck them together, randomly. It meant nothing, it was just how dreams worked. Completely random.

Finally drawing her head from her arms again, in the purpose of stuffing her redundant notes into her bag, she was startled to find a pair of enormous brown eyes, staring at her from the desk in front of her.

"Whoa…!" Minagi gasped, drawing back from the face that was a mere few inches from hers, knowing, if it hadn't been for the desk's seat keeping her captive, she probably would have flown back about three feet.

Momiji cocked his head slightly, a look of curiosity written in his cutely handsome face. Minagi blushed, frustrated with the fact that she couldn't decide what he was, handsome or cute. She turned her head down, and busied herself with putting away her belongings.

"Is Kurosaki-san alright?" He asked, quietly but as cutely as ever. Minagi looked up at him, moving only her large emerald green eyes. He seemed to be concerned about her.

Minagi blushed even deeper and stuffed her notebook a little rougher than necessary into her pack.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, Sohma-san…" She muttered. "Just…sleepy…"

"That's great, I thought maybe you were sick!" Momiji chirped, back to his normal, chipper self. Minagi blanched, finding that this boy was the most puzzling one she'd ever met, that she'd ever even had something remotely like a conversation with.

She rose from her seat, ready to leave before she fell more into a conversation with the boy.

"Come on, Momiji, the others are waiting." A serenely calm voice called from the doorway. Minagi ignored her warnings against friendship and the like, and looked at the doorway.

He was just as beautiful as the other two boys that had talked to her, with stunning blue eyes, and the oddest coloring of his hair. It was the normal shade of black on the bottom, shaved portion, but the top of his hair, that was a perfect white. With those half-lidded blue orbs, he stared towards Momiji, and glanced slowly to Minagi, who meanwhile realized she was turning beet red again.

"Ooh! Ooh! I got an idea," Momiji chanted as Minagi finally stole back her gaze and badgered her feet into carrying her to the door. "Minagi-san should come eat lunch on the roof with us!"

Minagi stopped dead, forgetting her mission of making it to, and accordingly, out the door. What the heck was going on, with this Sohma kid? She didn't want this, but something still kept her glued to the spot.

Her gaze rose to the white-haired boy in the doorway, finding his blue eyes focused on her as well.

"Minagi-san is new here, so we should introduce her to everyone, shouldn't we, Haru?" Momiji came up to stand next to Minagi, only barely taller than her. He beamed at her, as Minagi felt her face growing impossibly hotter.

Could this all just be a trick? What if they were just like the other guys at her last schools, the ones who taunted her? But then, what if they really did just want to be friends?

Either way, Minagi didn't want it.

"Oh, yeah, Minagi-san, this is Hatsuharu Sohma, he's also my cousin!" Momiji chirped, as Minagi blanched once more.

"Soh-Sohma?" She squeaked. How many Sohmas could there be in one school? Then there was that annoying sensation of their surname still trying to ring some bell that was buried deep in her mind.

"I…I really…You don't have to…" Minagi then stuttered, just wanting to escape the friendship or the teasing or whatever the Sohma boys were offering her, and made quickly for the door again. "I'm fine, really." She tried to state firmly, but noted her shaky voice had betrayed her.

She'd made it to the door, and was relieved to see the sunlight from the hallway, and set herself on reaching that sunlight. Another obstacle presented itself, however, as a bare, pale arm planted itself in the doorway, a hand with a bracelet adorned wrist connecting to the door jamb. The boy who was called Hatsuharu stared at her, his eyes firm, but amazingly deep with what seemed to Minagi to be caring feelings. This girl, she was almost like _her_; trying to isolate herself from everyone, even those who wanted to help. He was reminded so much of her, looking into Minagi's deep, confused emerald eyes.

"You don't seem fine with being alone," he stated cryptically.

Minagi faltered as she stared back at him, her eyes wide. He had…read her mind, somehow. Or was it so blatantly obvious that she was battling herself with the question of friendship?

"You should come, Minagi-san, I'm sure they'll all love you," Momiji told her gently, giving her a comforting smile.

Minagi actually thought on the offer now, much to her dismay. This new system of making it through her time at this high school by being friendless was failing, and fast.

"They definitely won't be mean to you, except maybe for Kyo, but if that happens, Haru will tell him off, won't you, Haru?" Momiji looked to the taller boy for support. Haru stared tranquilly for a moment, and nodded monotonously.

"Even then, Kyo doesn't really mean it." Haru contributed.

Minagi was staring at a tile in the floor below her now, trying to muster the courage to perhaps push through Hatsuharu's arm and run to find her own, secluded spot, somewhere far from the roof. Or perhaps just run _under_ the boys arm, to said secluded spot. Yes, that sounded better, a path of less resistance, less human contact.

Unfortunately, her legs that would carry her away in either method seemed to have detached themselves from the commands of her brain. She silently cursed at the appendages.

"Hmm." Haru's voice broke into her thoughts and silent cursing, and she suddenly saw his hand leave the doorframe. It quickly replaced itself on her wrist, sending her large eyes to widen even more.

"C'mon." He commanded her firmly, but somehow gently, and tugged her out the door, Momiji tagging along close behind.

"Wha- What are you doing?" Minagi stammered behind him. She tried to struggle, but found his grip too firm to break…but somehow so tender as well. Damn those double-traits that these Sohma boys were so famous in her mind for!

"I told you, I'm fine!" Minagi nearly shouted at Haru, trying to keep up with his hurried steps. "I don't need you or your friends! I'm fine by myself!"

"You don't mean that." Haru said simply, not looking back at her.

"What do you know about what I do or don't mean?" Minagi called, a bit of a temper flaring up. What did _they_ know about any of her life, what did _they_ know about the pain that moving so much always caused?

Haru suddenly stopped, causing Minagi to _nearly_ crash into him. He turned his face to look at her, and Minagi half-expected that face to be angry with her.

Her emerald eyes met his perfect blue ones, and found, not anger, but something else. A certain sadness. His mouth had traced into a light smile, as he looked down at her pink face.

"Experience." Haru stated softly.

Minagi could only look at him, she was lost for words. What did this mean? These Sohma boys, they were something else…

The hand on her wrist moved into her hand, squeezing only lightly, Haru having sensed that she'd been rendered harmless, so to speak. He could sense that her resistance had ebbed. Minagi stared at the connection, confused, almost wanting to cry, but demanding it of herself not to. Crying on her first day of school; _that_, she would never live down.

Instead of following her instincts into tears, she decided to follow the boy Hatsuharu, surrendering herself to the exact thing that she'd sworn herself away from that morning.

She'd lasted a whole few hours, half a school day, without falling into something that remotely resembled a friendship.

It must have been a new record.


	3. An Outsider

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-** : Wow, I've been finding some great Fruits Basket fics lying around in here, it's awesome! Autumn Effect has got to be my favorite…'tis Shonen-ai, it is. –shifty eyes-

Anyway, I wanted to update this story, I nearly considered discontinuing it due to lack of reviews, but I know a bit better now how this site works now, and my observations have told me that the Fruits Basket section moves quite quickly. So, that being observed and noted, I am going to keep going with it, hopefully catch some more audience as I go along. I may just put up the next chapter, while I'm at it! Anyway, still only 3 reviews(one of which I don't even consider a review, and the other two being from the same person)…That makes me a sad panda… Please review, tell me what you think! Bitte!(German lesson-Bitte please) Flames are accepted, though I can't say that they will be taken to heart…I understand if you just want to be frank about something you don't like, sometimes that even helps, but, do try to be at least civil about stuff like that.

**Different Child**- My one and only true reviewer; I thank you for both your reviews! And I am glad you caught on about Minagi's own 'curse', it's one of the general themes I adore in Fruits Basket fics, and in Fruits Basket itself. Everyone has their own curse, I believe. Enjoy the long overdue update! -gives some pocky-

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**Chapter 3- An Outsider**

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"Dammit, you Yank, you're cheating!"

"That's always your excuse for losing, Orange-top, it's getting pretty old!"

Minagi was fortunate enough to walk into this exact conversation, still in tow of Hatsuharu, and closely followed by a bubbly-as-usual Momiji. They emerged from the door on the roof, headed straight towards the source of the disturbance that had actually carried to them before they stepped into the sunlight of the roof of the school building.

What caught her attention first was the boy with ginger orange hair, in an argumentative stance above a blonde girl-apparently the accused 'Yankee'- A small collection of cards in his fist.

"Gah! doesn't change the fact that you're cheating!"

"Where the Hell are you getting that crap, orange-top!?"

Minagi saw the blonde girl flare up right back at the boy, and meanwhile allowed her eyes to find the other occupants in the group, two girls and a boy.

The first girl, with deep black hair that was braided all the way down her back, watched on the conflict next to her serenely, as if it was her favorite show. All the while, her chopsticks worked on a bowl of ramen in her hand. The other girl, on the other hand, looked somewhat worried about the same show that the black-haired girl seemed to be intently watching, even enjoying, under that stoic face. The second girl had a sweet face, with brown eyes that were good competition in size to Momiji's, her brunette hair was lightly tied back with a shining yellow ribbon. She was a petite girl, almost looking like she could be a first year. But, judging from her companions, who looked a bit more matured, she guessed that she had to be a second year at least.

The boy, however, nearly brought her to a stop. The new second year stared at the back of the boys head. That head of a familiar shade of grey…

"Guten Tag!" Momiji cheered as he leapt onto the back of the grey haired boy. Minagi couldn't be sure, but she thought that the boy must have spilled something in the midst of the younger boy's ambush, for there was a faint 'Crap' coming from his direction.

The brunette turned her head to see her companion and his assailant, who was still gripping him around the neck, in a death grip of affection. The black haired girl, merely turned her deep indigo eyes, hauntingly slow to the new source of commotion, the redhead and blonde almost completely forgotten. Said redhead and blonde, however, continued their feud in the background.

"Momiji, please, try to be more careful…" A familiar and distraught voice came from the grey haired boy, as he escaped from Momiji's grip and peeling his school shirt from his torso.

"Oh, here, Yuki-kun, I have some extra napkins!" The brunette flustered, digging into her lunch sack and sure enough, pulling out a collection of unsoiled, perfect white paper napkins. "It's a good thing I did today, isn't it?" the girl continued to smile broadly as she offered Yuki the towels, which he gladly accepted.

Minagi watched on, only vaguely noticing that her hand was still in Hatsuharu's. This girl couldn't be so bad. She seemed to _radiate_ kindness. Maybe a little too much kindness for her own good, actually…Her friend, meanwhile, the black haired one, looked slowly up, catching Minagi immediately in her indigo gaze. Minagi stared back, not knowing what else to do. This girl…she seemed strange…well, at least as strange as the others, anyway.

"Thank you, Honda-san," Yuki told the girl gratefully as he wiped down the front of his torso.

"You guys, you guys, me and Haru have a new friend!" Momiji chirped, now dancing behind Yuki, his part in catalyst to Yuki's spill forgotten.

'Friend…' Minagi blanched as the boy announced her existence to the world. 'He had to use that word, didn't he…?'

"Yes, it seems as though we have a guest in our presence." The black haired girl said cryptically, her eyes gliding shut. Even her voice was hauntingly beautiful.

The brunette looked, all in one movement, to Momiji, then to her friend. The redhead and blonde had sensed the announcement, and had also turned their attention to the blonde boy, who was still beaming at them all, standing just right to hide Minagi from their immediate vision. Yuki, turned his head to look around his cousin, his violet eyes connecting with her emerald orbs that were widened in both anticipation and nerves. His thin lips plied into a nice smile as they both confirmed their guesses on who the other was.

"Everyone," Momiji sang as he shifted his stance into something that looked like a pre-pounce position, preparing to leap out of the others view on his own dramatic cue. "This, is Kurosaki Minagi-san!"

True to Minagi's prediction, he leapt to the side, presenting her. She blushed as she realized how much attention this was getting her, with the lemon-blonde now standing to her side, his arms raised as if he were an artist who was showing off his latest and greatest masterpiece. Her, of course, being said masterpiece.

Just great.

Her palm felt vaguely cold and she realized that Haru had finally departed; now standing on the other side of Momiji. He gave her a look, that she turned red to realize must have been a 'You'll be alright,' type of look.

"C'mon, Minagi-san, come say hello to everyone!" Momiji grasped the bundle of nerves called Minagi Kurosaki by her hands and pulled her gently into the odd little "circle" that the group was seated in.

She decided to concentrate on keeping her feet in pattern, not letting them trip her up.

Looking up as she entered the circle, Hatsuharu was now leaning against the chain link fence, staring off into space. Perhaps it was just her, but it seemed as though he'd just been staring at her just as everyone else was. The redhead and blonde 'Yankee' had finally settled down, the blonde now sitting cross legged, directly across from her, staring with her blue eyes into Minagi's beet red, lowered face. She didn't seem hostile anymore, Minagi was glad to sense. The redhead, however, was staring off just as Haru was, but she sensed that he hadn't really bothered to take a good look at her or fluster about her to begin with.

She made a note to thank the strange boy later.

Momiji sat next to her, completing the circle, not taking back one of his hands in offering of comfort to the poor frightened girl. Momiji noticed her observation of the contact and smiled assuredly, successfully strengthening the message he was sending her through their hands. Why did this boy make her feel better? Why was she somehow _enjoying_ his hand being in her own?

"Minagi-san, you've met Yuki, and that's Uotani Arisa," he indicated the bleach-blonde girl, who gave a quick peace sign accompanied by a small grin underneath her one-sided blonde bangs; "That's Hanajima Saki," He pointed to the strange black haired girl; "That's Honda Tohru," The brunette gave her a huge smile and a little wave.

"And that…" Momiji's voice turned a little playful. "That's Kyo, mine, Haru and Yuki's cousin." He turned his hand to the still disgruntled redhead, who was still staring off, pretending to ignore the rest of them.

"He's a meanie sometimes, but he doesn't mean it!" Momiji cheerfully recited Haru's earlier words.

"That's crap, rabbit, I do mean it, especially with you!" Kyo flared suddenly. Minagi watched him, taken by how quickly he'd broken his wall from them to counter the blonde's blow. Perhaps Kyo's walls needed more fortifying than her own, she was amused to think to herself.

But rabbit? Why did he call Momiji that, anyway?

"Nuh-uh! You're really nice when you want to be, Kyo, and you know it!" Momiji eagerly threw back, his bright eyes glowing. He turned to Minagi again, his face in a huge smile. "Just ask Tohru, he's nicest to her!"

Tohru, meanwhile, blushed at this observation, and began into one of her near-hysterical flusters. Had she been watching him at that moment, Minagi would have noticed that Kyo had reddened even more, almost to the point of his cheeks matching his deep crimson eyes.

"Eh?? Oh, no, it's not really that…I mean…" Tohru stuttered, her brown eyes almost wider than humanly possible, her palms waving in front of her, trying to deny the fact that Kyo had especially softened towards her. "Eh? Ky-Kyo-kun!"

Minagi turned just in time to see that Kyo was now next to her, looming over Momiji, gripping him tightly in a headlock that she truly hoped was just a playful jibe. Tohru flustered even more next to her, trying to break the boys up from her seat, apparently stuck there for whatever Tohru reason.

"Waah, Kyo's pickin' on me! Hilfe!" Momiji whined in such a way that Minagi couldn't discern if he was serious or still just playing around.

Everyone seemed to be okay with this new development, with exception of Tohru, who was still dazedly chanting at them. Saki and Arisa sat and stared, Saki still working on her bowl of ramen. Haru was still in his original spot, Yuki sipped what remained of his tea nonchalantly. His violet eyes opened and rested on the young Minagi, reading her bewildered expression immediately.

"Don't worry, Kurosaki-san. As strange as it may sound, this is actually…" The president managed to dodge the two struggling boys next to him-Momiji had indeed grown some, in the last couple of years, and now he actually managed to play-fight Kyo back- Kyo was now giving the smaller boy a noogie as he continued. "…Normal, for us."

Minagi still couldn't take her eyes off his as he regained his hold on his tea.

"So, Kurosaki, eh?" The girl Arisa said thoughtfully as the two Sohmas next to Minagi settled down.

"Kuro-chan." Saki said next to her friend. "Kyoko-san would definitely say Kuro-chan."

Minagi stared for a moment at the two, before catching sight of Tohru, who made to agree with the two girls.

"Yes! Kurosaki-san would definitely be Kuro-chan!" She chirped, her hands clapping together with a goofy grin and her dismay of Momiji and Kyo's play fight diminished immediately.

Minagi, however, stared at them all, a little dismayed herself.

"What are you…?" she managed to squeak.

"That's your new nickname, Kuro-chan." Arisa told her. "Kyoko Honda-san, she gave me and Hana-chan our nicknames. I'm Uo-chan, by the way." She pointed to Saki and then herself.

Kyoko Honda. Minagi put two and two together, and figured that Kyoko was Tohru's mother. But nicknames?

"I really don't need a nickname," Minagi stammered at the blonde. Nicknames meant friendship. If friendship was the last thing Minagi wanted, then she figured that nicknames would come just before friendship on her list of "unwanted things". Besides that, this was happening way too fast for her liking.

"You're new to the neighborhood, aren't you, Kuro-chan?" Tohru smiled hugely at the new girl, who was growing more restless by the second in her new surroundings. "Maybe you could come with us after school, and we'll show you around! I don't have work today," She continued suggesting plans for the evening, as Uo interjected excitedly;

"Yeah, and I don't have work until later tonight! It could totally work!" She beamed as well, her personality now completely contrasting of that when Minagi first saw her in the fight with Kyo.

"Hey, that does sound like fun!" Momiji agreed immediately, leaning into the circle and beaming with those brilliant brown eyes of his. "Kyo, Yuki, Haru, you guys should all come too!" He looked at the other boys consecutively, as they all met his gaze accordingly; Kyo with his usual glare, Haru with that placid look that was hard to read what he was exactly thinking, Yuki with a wide-eyed, but interested-looking violet gaze.

Minagi's face rose in temperature a few degrees, watching everyone around her plan the day for her, arranging a _friendly outing_. The whole seven of them, well, except perhaps Kyo, who wasn't showing what he thought either way, they all seemed to almost jump on the idea of showing the new girl around town. They were all eager to get to know her, it seemed, and it was making the girl even more uneasy than she'd ever felt. They were probably the nicest people she'd come in contact in a long time.

Were they _trying_ to destroy her, come next moving day?

Having this many friends, and moving away, that could only be painful. How could it be anything more? Even those few friends who she'd felt rather close to, and who'd written to her after she left, they eventually stopped writing, for whatever reason. She hadn't heard from anyone for a long while. This was to be her fate, every time she followed her mother to a new location. Whatever bonds that they were trying to establish here, on this roof, those bonds would start to disintegrate as soon as she pulled away in the next moving van that came to her and her mother's house.

Again. For what would seem like the thousandth time. The closer they were, the more it'd hurt.

Meanwhile, Hanajima was picking up on some unusual Dempa waves, waves she'd never sensed before. Her lidded indigo eyes opened as the discussion of that afternoon floated around amongst the more excited of the group, that is to say her two best friends and Momiji, and found the source of the waves of discontent.

The girl with bright green eyes, long, wavy brown hair, the new girl. These waves told her that the girl was not feeling at all at home in this setting, and these waves had only increased several-fold, as soon as the others had begun planning the afternoon away. The girl was staring at the concrete of the roof below her, her body language only enforcing the insight from her waves. She hadn't touched a bite of her food, her hands were set firmly at her knees in front of her, and slightly trembling. Her shoulders were also hunched slightly, as if it would provide her some shelter from whatever was making her so nervous.

Hana could tell; this girl was only moments from something. Perhaps an outburst, perhaps crying, perhaps escape from the little meeting. Hana lightly set her bowl of ramen down, a perfect image of calm in the midst of the excitement buzzing around her friends. She read both fear of being alone and fear of _not_ being alone, coming from that deep brunette girl. An odd combination, she knew, and thought maybe for once her power of reading waves had been wrong or misreading. But these waves seemed to shout both of these traits, undeniably.

'This girl's waves are clearly almost on the same level of the Sohmas' waves…' she thought vaguely to herself, not taking an indigo eye off of her subject.

"I will be able to come, too, after my student council meeting just after school. It shouldn't take too long," Yuki put in, drawing Hana and Minagi back to the conversation at hand, Minagi noticing with despair that it hadn't moved away from the planning of that afternoon. "If you all just tell me where to meet you, I'm sure I could catch up,"

"**Don't**." A stiff voice spoke before Tohru had the chance to elaborate the timeframes of their field trip.

All eyes turned to look at Minagi, whose emerald eyes had found placement above the ground, but still not up to the task of creating eye contact. Hana knew something like this had been coming, and sat quietly, watching how the others would handle it, wondering if she should contribute what the waves had told her.

Minagi could sense all those eyes on her, those eyes of such strange colors. Even Kyo's crimson ones seemed to bore a hole into her very being. She could only imagine them all, even though she hadn't looked anyone in the eye for a fair few minutes since the planning had begun; Momiji's huge brown eyes would be filled with worry, Tohru's even huger brown eyes would be oblivious, Uotani's aquamarine eyes hiding behind the curtain of blonde seeming to question her every motive, Haru's placid and seemingly uncaring blue, Yuki's stange violet gaze, Kyo's fierce blood-red glare, Hanajima's mysterious royal blue and hypnotic stare. She could feel each and every one of them, she could somehow read all of their eyes without even looking at them.

"Please. Just…I don't want this." Minagi chose her words carefully, as if it were the most important speech of her life. "I don't _need_ this. It's the last thing I want. I appreciate how nice you've all been to me…but…"

"Minagi-san, don't leave," Momiji seemed to read her mind of its plans of escaping. She sent a glare at him, resisting the urge to scream the question that plagued her all day; what was it with these Sohma kids that made them so on top of it all? They seemed to know what she always thought, they seemed to not want to give her the chance of being alone. Why couldn't they just do that, just leave her alone until it came time to leave?

Why couldn't they understand that she'd only end up leaving them behind?

The glare had obviously hit Momiji, for the sentence that he'd started came to an abrupt end, his enormous brown orbs shining slightly out of confusion and disappointment. Minagi's stomach gave her a quick stab, noticing his reaction, noticing it was near a slap in his cute face. It made her slightly more grateful that she'd averted that urge to rant about the Sohmas and their strange mind-reading qualities. She tore her glare away from the boy and hastily grabbed her bag, stuffing her unopened lunch pack into it.

"Just, don't expect me to meet you after school. It's better this way…" She got to her feet, not meeting any of the several pairs of eyes that followed her. "I can't do this anymore. Thank you for your hospitality." She gave a quick bow, set on keeping it formal, not friendly. With that, she whirled around, finding that the path from her spot to the stairwell door seemed at least double what it had been when she came up there in the first place.

"Minagi-san, wait!" Momiji's voice called after her as she reached the halfway point between the others and her destination. She hastened her step, not wanting to see that look on his face again and not wanting him to read anything inside her that would signal the tears lurking just beyond her emerald eyes. Maybe it would be more effective to drive them away like that, making it so bad, hurting them to the point of them not wanting to associate with her anymore, but Minagi couldn't stand that. She couldn't stand that look that Momiji had given her. It wasn't her cup of tea to become like her old bullies, for any reason in the world.

"Minagi-san, please, why don't you want us?" Momiji finally caught up with her, and stood just in front of her, causing her to stop, and listen to his worries. "Did something happen to Minagi-san? Is something about being with us painful for her?"

Minagi could sense the honest worry in the boy's voice as he spoke, his head tilted slightly to better see her emerald eyes. Minagi wouldn't oblige him with eye contact. The last time that happened, it nearly sent her to tears.

"Just leave me alone." She stated simply, even coldly.

With that, she shoved past him, only to have him dodge nimbly and stick himself in front of her again. She felt herself grow even more edgy as his hands gripped her shoulders gently, urging her to stay and talk it out with him.

"Minagi-san, please, we—" He started, before Minagi broke free again, jolting her shoulders out of his hands.

"Leave me alone!" She shouted as she broke free of the rabbit's grasp and ran to complete the gap between her and the doorway. Hugging her bag closely to her chest, she willed herself not to cry as she threw herself down the stairs.

Momiji stared, wide-eyed and confused, as she disappeared into the stairwell door. His quick feet started towards that door, wanting to go after her, to help her, whatever problem was plaguing her. As a Sohma, he knew plenty about problems.

A hand, however, prevented him from attaining his goal. He followed the pale hand on his shoulder to its host, the ever-placid and tranquil Hatsuharu. The boy stared at Momiji, half-lidded blue eyes seeming to warn him.

"Let her be, Momiji. She needs space right now." He stated calmly, as he urged the rabbit back to the group. Momiji glumly obliged, letting himself be pulled back to the mystified and now quiet group. If anyone knew about this type of isolation, it was Haru, he knew.

Still, sitting down, the blonde peered back at the doorway, wishing pointlessly that Minagi would somehow reappear and give them another chance. Something must have been wrong, with the way she began acting all of the sudden.

As a Sohma, he was used to all sorts of different reasons and versions of despair and pain, but seeing her, an outsider, act as though she too was cursed, _that_ frightened him.

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-:** Author's note! You may have noticed a couple of German phrases in this chapter! Since Momiji is in fact half German, I wouldn't dream of not carrying that through, and he will sometimes say little German things. I will, of course, translate them, if not through dialogue quickly following the phrase, then through author's notes at the end of the chapter, which is what I am doing here! By the way, yes, I do know German, I took three years of it in high school. Ah, Germany, my other favorite country aside from Japan. –Bows to her German flag- hmmm. -Makes a note to buy a Japanese flag-

_Guten Tag_: This is in the manga, I just don't remember where he says it. Anyway, it means 'Good day', and is used as a greeting, casual, as opposed to the usual snobby, stereotypical butler type of use of the word in English. I hope I am making sense of that…Heh…

_Hilfe_: This isn't used in the manga. Simply, it means 'help.' That's pretty much all you need to know. –shrugs- I might mention that the command form would be _hilf_ (I think-just bear with me, it's been more than a year since I was in the classroom, I'm beginning to lose some of the language…) But I see this as Momiji asking for help, not commanding it. So…I dunno. He's not even serious, so whatever, lol.

If anyone knows German, I'd love it if you corrected me and my bumbling attempts at translating, my memory is so terrible, and I really am starting to lose some of this language! That isn't even to mention that I suck at explaining this!--I apologize ahead of time for any confusion my translations may bring about!-- _Bitte hilfe mir_!


	4. When You Want Us

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-:** I thought I'd put the next chapter up too, just cause I've neglected this story since September…I actually haven't written on it for a while, either, but I am eager to get back into it and go where I wanna go with it. Hopefully I'll get a few fans along the way!

This chapter was a ton of fun to write, I got to play with Uo-chan's character, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Poor Minagi, I just won't give her a break! Lol…I did give her a wonderful wardrobe to work with though, and I highly envy her for it.

Thank you to Shojo Beat for it's info on Shibuya and Harajuka, briefly mentioned in here, and permanent fixtures in my mental list of 'Places to go before I die'.

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**Chapter 4- When You Want Us**

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Lumber. Fresh lumber and cardboard. That's what her new room smelt like.

The smell had kept her up nearly all night the previous night, the night before school. And it, among other things, would probably keep her up again that night.

Minagi sighed at the thought of more sleep deprivation, closing her emerald eyes that had been fixed for quite a while previous to the ceiling above her pillow. Her hands lay folded between her head and her pillow, her long locks of deep brown playing in waves over her bed and her pillows, having been long since freed from the hair tie that restrained it earlier.

This house was very new, it having only been built a couple of weeks prior to Minagi's arrival in the town. So, the smell of lumber and even of paint was still residing in the house with her and her mother, despite attempts to vent the aroma by opening several windows in the house. Minagi comforted herself telling herself it wouldn't last, it would be gone soon, or that or she may get used to it; Though the latter seemed fairly unlikely, as she furrowed her brow at a fresh whiff of the scent. The cardboard could be helped, though, all she needed to do was pull herself out of her lazy and distraught stupor and unpack everything. Unfortunately, she had used all her industrial motivation on completing her homework, which now lay in a heap at the foot of her bed. It was sloppily done, and at times illegible with her constantly changing handwriting, but it was finished.

She peered out of the window, noticing it was now dusk. She'd spent hours holed up in this room of lumber and cardboard smells, keeping her brain on the track of homework, and anything else that didn't bring the Sohmas or the other girls to mind. She had eventually changed out of her school uniform, switching into a loose button up black shirt that was lightly adorned with red lace at the hem and the sleeves that reached the middle of her upper arm. Paired with that, was a black layered skirt, with its own set of red lace at its hem. To finish off the outfit, were her favorite pair of black knee high socks that sported a red ribbon lacing around the top, tied off in a perfect bow to the sides.

She smiled at this outfit, it was one of her favorites. When she'd lived in downtown Tokyo, she'd visited the shopping districts Shibuya and Harajuka almost regularly, and had consequently become very inspired by the "Gothic Lolita" style of dress. Both by seeing many another girl walking around the place dressed as such, or looking in one of the plentiful shops in the district that offered the style. Nearly everything she now owned in garment form was Gothic Lolita. She'd even taught herself to sew such things, since she had been away from places to buy the garments for a few years now, Tokyo being one of the many places that she and her mother had moved in and then out of.

Out of the deepening darkness came a grumble that Minagi recognized as her stomach's request for food. And knowing her stomach, it wouldn't stay this patient for long. She had skipped lunch, after all.

After she'd fled from her "friends", or "all-too-persistent-acquaintances," as she preferred to call them, she settled on waiting outside the classroom for the next block of classes-which thank Buddha was shorter than the morning block- to begin. As soon as she'd fortified her mental and social isolation walls in her seat, she watched as the rest of her class filed in from the break. She'd pretended to be sleeping, putting her head in her arms as Momiji and Haru made themselves present. Sneaking a peek at the boys, she saw Haru give Momiji a look before they even walked in. Momiji had nodded regretfully, and slowly, almost non-energetically trotted to his seat in front of her. Minagi remembered expecting him to throw himself into conversation with her, to call her out of her "slumber", to look at her with concern filled brown eyes, and energetically ask her what had happened. To be his own, hyper self.

But he sat down, facing the front, with out a word. He had picked up his pencil and flipped to a fresh page in his notebook. He had completely ignored her. Minagi recalled that feeling she had, the feeling of great relief as her head collapsed back into it's fortitude of darkness. She lifted her head finally, as the sensei's voice filtered in with the last of the students. No one had their eyes on her. Except a boy that was next to her.

Haru had been looking at her, his face expressionless, his eyes as calm as a lake and just as blue. He was unreadable as he stared at her through white hair. Minagi had cut off the staring contest by turning back to her notes, determined to wait out the day buried in studies and lectures that were provided by the sensei.

Minagi sat up as her stomach gave another pestering growl, the first sign of her impatient appetite. The room around her was now fairly dark, so she turned on the lamp that sat on a box next to her bed. The bronze light illuminated the room dimly, but it was enough for her to navigate around the surrounding and opposing boxes that she'd someday get unpacked.

Guiding herself around more boxes in the hallway, she found the stairwell, and sauntered down, in aims of her kitchen. It had been equipped with a stove top when they moved in, along with a refrigerator.

Both Minagi and her stomach gave a low and disgruntled growl upon finding that the fridge was still empty. She shut the door to the cold box, realizing that it was entirely logical for the thing to be empty, what with her mother being at work all day, and her being at school all day; neither of them could have gone to the store for food whilst distracted with such domestic obligations. She found some boxes lying around, and mused briefly that there wouldn't likely be anything worth eating in them. Upon investigating of a few, she found that she was right in assuming this; one only had some crackers among all of their pots and pans, the other somehow contained books that would belong in their "library".

Her mother's voice carried to her as Minagi carried the box of books to the stairs.

"Hey, Mina-chan, could you go to the store and get some food for tonight?" Her mother requested upon emerging from the top of the stairwell. "I'd do it myself, but I have a splitting headache…" She further explained.

"Sure," Minagi fought her stomach for audibility in the dim and open front room. Her mother, leaning over the banister, brushed her light brown hair out of her face with a tired smile to her daughter, and retreated back to her room.

"Uh, anything in particular?" Minagi called as she slipped on her leather combat boots.

"Anything in noodle form is fine with me!" Her mother called down, oddly muffled as if she had her face inches from her pillow. Which was probably the case, as Minagi knew how attached her mother was to her pillows when she had such a headache.

Minagi pulled on a long, lacy jacket that completed the lolita style of her outfit and would keep her warm in the chill of the early autumn evening. Stepping out of the front door, sure to have a map of the area in her hand, she set out on the journey to find the nearest convenience store. Her mother had already marked the location of the house on the map, and with the aid of a phone book, was able to locate such things as Minagi's new school, the nearest and most interesting-looking restaurants, and of course the convenience store that Minagi was headed for.

She enjoyed the last bit of light that haloed the city, as the street lamps provided more of guidance to her. The red-orange light of the sky to the west blended expertly and beautifully with the oncoming deep blues from the east. Minagi smiled to herself at the quietness of it all. Everyone was inside their own houses, sitting down with their own families to their own dinners. No one noticed the new girl dressed as if she'd just popped in from Shibuya, reading a map to find a convenience store for food. She was finally alone.

She came to a corner and finally took out the folded map from her laced pocket, smoothing it on her legs and squinting through the dim light of the lamp above at the thin lines that traced neatly around the paper, forming streets and train tracks and something of houses, all in replica of the area. She located her house with ease, it being a thick red, Sharpie-ink square. The convenience store, was a fair few blocks away from that red square, labeled in a black Sharpie-ink dot. The girl traced her path thus far to a corner that wasn't too far from the dot, to an intersection that found itself lined with businesses, shops and even a few apartment buildings. Just another street up would find her in more urban surroundings and with in sight of her destination.

She packed the map away, careful not to crinkle it too much, as she and her mother would still need it's guidance for at least a little while longer. She began up the street, mentally following the remaining path on the map. Sure enough, she found the little shop on the next block, and a bit more urban of a surrounding. The journey there had, of all things, been a gradual transformation from suburb to mildly urban. This place definitely looked a drastic change from her new neighborhood, which was clean and new and full of perfect families. It was a new neighborhood populated by the well off, a category that Minagi felt all too much a part of, with her mother in a high end job that handed her transfers and promotions all the time. Minagi wouldn't even be surprised if one day she came home to news that they were moving to some beautiful foreign country, though she didn't want to tempt that fate.

This part of town was significantly older and a little worse for wares. Not to say that it was exactly bad, but it had more "character" than the streets that Minagi had seen come before it on her journey. A bit of that character was actually on the side of the convenience store in an alleyway, in the form of graffiti. Minagi gazed at the stylized kanji, only half trying to read it as she passed.

The light drastically changed as she stepped inside the small establishment, making Minagi go temporarily blind. She blinked at her surroundings as the music of the place met her ears, the type of old music that her mother would be likely to listen to. She directed herself in some direction, now on a quest to find fixings that would prove easy to create at home. The girl was in a lazy mood, thus something simple would be her cup of tea.

Or cup of instant veggie ramen, as she picked up a package of the stuff and contemplated its benefits. It's quick and easy, though she'd have to boil water. That meant fishing the ideal pot out of a box, and the ten minutes it'd take to reach boiling point. Then there was just an extra utensil to clean up afterwards.

Ten minutes, plus the walk home first. And Minagi's stomach wanted food now.

She wondered off, finding a simple package of soba noodles for her mother, along with some sauce that she knew complimented the noodles very well. Eventually, with more impatient nudgings from her belly, she decided on that pack of ramen, and grabbed the juiciest looking pear she could find in the produce section for the road.

The girl checked out, and setting the light and non-existent burden of the bag into the crook of an arm, she began into her pear as her eyes found themselves momentarily blind again, this time being for the darkness that heinously contrasted the inner lights of the store. In her brief second of blindness, however, she had managed to step right into something, that something being a taller, more solid older female.

Minagi stumbled back with the impact, managing not to fall flat on her backside. Her eyes met with the new victim of her clumsiness, that tall, bleach-toped girl, dressed all in dark clothing, with a white face mask covering her mouth and nose. Her eyes were just visible, reflecting light in little spots of gleam. Those eyes held every bit of threatening aura that they could muster.

"You wanna look where you're going, stupid girl?" the girl spat behind her mask. Minagi then noticed that the girl wasn't alone, but had two companions with her, both looking just as menacing and hostile as their spokeswoman.

"I-I'm sorry, I was just…" Minagi stammered, not knowing what it was she was trying to say.

"I haven't seen you before…" One of the girl's friends said. "You in territory you shouldn't be in?"

"Huh?" Minagi stared, dumbfounded, as the little group began to encircle her, for whatever a group of only three could do so.

"She sure is pretty, but she ain't so bright, eh, girls?" the leader snickered to her friends. "Look at her, all dolled up like that and only going to a supermarket…" She grabbed the plastic bag from Minagi, as if initiating a game of keep-away.

"Hey! What are you…" Minagi exclaimed, taking hold of the bag before it left her grasp completely.

"Seriously, with clothes like that, someone'd think that you were goin' on a date or somethin'!" the third girl said with a sarcastic air.

"Yeah, bet you get straight A's and you're mommy and daddy's little girl, too!" the leader cooed, giving the bag another tug. The mask on her face shifted as her mouth behind it twisted into a smirk. It suddenly shifted back, that heinous smile gone. "I hate stupid girls like this little bitch." She said, more to her friends than Minagi.

Minagi was growing tired of the situation now, even though these girls seemed a little more hostile than her last bullies. Something told her that they actually had the guts and the power to back up their talk. She'd heard of these types, these were Yankees, girl gang members. Her memory took her briefly back to a few hours before, when the girl called Uotani was accused as being such. She wondered, was Uo really a Yankee?

She pushed that thought from her mind. What the heck did she care?

"I'm sorry I ran into you like that, but I'd really just like to get home." Minagi calmly growled. "Can't you just forget it?"

The Yankees broke into laughter. Not ordinary laughter but cruel laughter, mocking laughter.

"Forget about it? Man, you've got a lot to learn about these streets, don't you, bitch?" the leader sadistically grinning behind that mask of hers. She gave a swift, almost invisible signal to the other two, and they quickly latched onto the young Minagi's arms, dragging her into that graffiti alleyway.

"Hey, let go of me!" Minagi struggled against her captors, finding that the darkness was no aid to her. Streetlight just barely filtered in, along with the light of the rising silver moon. Normally Minagi would have admired that silver orb, but there were obviously more trying matters at hand. "Dammit, get your hands off me!!" She managed to half-shout.

Outlined in the moonlight, she saw the leader of the trio, cracking her knuckles threateningly.

"Man, it's been a while since I got to spoil such a pretty face. I've been so bored lately!" She grinned to her partners as the last joints offered their pops to the night. She drew her now clenched fist to her shoulder, taking precise aim. Minagi was still coping with the fact that the aim was her face. She struggled a little more, to no avail.

Of all the times in the world to be alone. Sheesh.

Arisa sighed at the thought of three more hours of working that night. She hated the closing shift. Hated it with a bloody passion. She had homework waiting at home! It was never going to do itself, even with all the wishing in the world that she had to offer.

The cash register closed with an all-too-cheerful sounding series of mechanical dinging, the gears working with each other to bring the money drawer into safety. With a cheerful smile, she handed the woman before her the change that she'd fetched and sent her on her way.

"Thanks, come again." Arisa moved through the motion of politeness, like a well-trained robot, which was sometimes what she felt like. At least when she was a Yankee she didn't have to be so damn polite. Not that she was planning to go back to that life anytime at all, but still, was a little freedom too much to ask?

The shifts changed, and Arisa now found herself stocking shelves, halfheartedly digging things out of boxes and neatly stacking the food stuffs neatly into their places on the shelves. Yes, it was a boring job, a mind numbing job, but it still put food on her plate and helped go towards college. Which she would have to start thinking about frighteningly soon, being a third year high school student. Then there'd been that one night that hadn't been so monotonous, that one night that happened almost a year ago, she'd met Kureno. That night still was fresh in her mind, it never really left. It was as if it had happened just the other day. Then the day not too long afterwards, when she'd eaten Tororo Soba with him.

Then, there was nothing. A long gap of nothing so much as a visit from him. She scowled at the fact that she hadn't seen him in so long, scowled at the fact that maybe it was all just some sort of freak meeting. He said he'd been happy when he'd seen her as well, but if that was true, why didn't he at least make an effort to show up once in a while? Even if for only a few seconds for a smile and a wave? That was all Arisa wanted, she just wanted to see him again. However, if he wanted to treat her to more Tororo soba, that would be welcomed with open arms, too.

Arisa went to fetch the next box of product off of the cart of new supplies, these menacing thoughts still swirling in her head. Something though, caught her eye, before she'd even reached the cart.

A girl with wavy dark hair and lacy gothic clothes was headed out the exit, one bag in tow. Without much insight, Uo would have thought that it was her friend Hanajima visiting her store, but no, the hair was dark, but not black, and the skirt this girl was wearing had red lace. Hana had restricted herself to black, period. Not to mention, this girl didn't seek a hello from her as she passed, didn't even seem to know she was there.

"Wait…" Arisa realized who exactly that girl was. A smirk spread across her face. "That little…"

Arisa started after Minagi, before turning to one of her co-workers. No way was Arisa letting the younger girl get away without any explanation again!

"Yo, I'm taking my break now, cover me." She didn't wait for objection as she tore her apron off, and sped through the store after the girl who had already disappeared through the exit. Great, if she didn't hurry, she'd probably lose her.

Arisa wove through the final obstacle of the cashier line, weaving around discarded buggies that she made a note to sort out later.

She paused upon exiting, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness, trying to make an educated guess as to where the girl went. Before her thoughts had any chance of giving her advice, however, a voice caught her attention.

"…All dolled up like that and only going to the supermarket," Then the crinkle of plastic.

Uotani dodged behind the wall of the entrance, catching sight of the Yankee girls, towering over the gothic Minagi. The first one had snatched at the shopping bag at her arm.

"Hey! What are you…"

"Seriously, with clothes like that, someone'd think that you were goin' on a date or somethin'!"

"Yeah, bet you get straight A's and you're mommy and daddy's little girl, too!" Uotani flinched, annoyed. Had she been this unbearable when she was in that life? "I hate stupid girls like this little bitch."

"I'm sorry I ran into you like that, but I'd really just like to get home." Minagi calmly growled. "Can't you just forget it?"

Uotani flinched again at the girls' laughter. That was the wrong thing to do in Minagi's situation. Then again, was there a right way? Uo herself had always responded by beating the crap out of her rivals. That sometimes didn't pay off well either.

"Forget about it? Man, you've got a lot to learn about these streets, don't you, bitch?" Uotani's attention snapped, here aqua eyes narrowed. She knew exactly where this was going, she'd seen it so many times.

"Hey, let go of me!" Minagi's cry sent her adrenaline in a crash course through her body. She sprinted out of hiding, following silently to the edge of the alleyway, peeking in to see the outlines of the girls, just the way she imagined them to be. Minagi shouted again, this time cussing at the girls. Arisa had to hand it to her, she hadn't seen anyone stick up for themselves like that, let alone a seemingly shy and introverted girl such as Minagi. Not to mention that the girl was even new to the area; talk about frightening, having a run-in with such bored and hostile Yankees on your first night!

"Man, it's been a while since I got to spoil such a pretty face. I've been so bored lately!"

Uotani sighed, recalling almost the exact words coming from her own mouth long ago. The leader's fist pulled back, giving Arisa the cue she was waiting for.

Minagi watched that fist pull back as far as it would, and shut her eyes, ready for the impact. Well, as ready as she'd ever be, anyway. She heard the sound of a fist cutting through the air, but in the brief milliseconds that passed, nothing collided with her face. Her eyes snapped open, even only after two or so seconds.

She didn't see that Yankee girl anymore. Rather, she saw a different Yankee girl. Said different Yankee girl was now staring her assailant down, a hand wrapped around the latter's wrist, holding her fist just inches from her own stomach.

"Heh. You talk big. Your punch was waaay too slow." Arisa drug out the "way" in a matter of taunting.

"What the Hell? What's a working girl like you have anything to say about it!" The leader girl shouted into Arisa's face, trying to call her fist back. "Dammit, you're a pretty girl too, aren't you? A good little working girl, bet you're just as perfect as her!" The leader sneered at the former Yankee, finally taking back her captive fist.

Minagi watched, stunned as Arisa dodged one punch to the head from the leader, only to plant a punch of her own, almost too swiftly for Minagi's amateur eyes to see, to the other girl's stomach. With a grunt, the victim of Uo's punch whirled around again, in a wild attempt to land a harsh punch again to Arisa's face. Arisa just managed to block it with her forearm, before coming into the girl's stomach again, this time with her knee. Even as the Yankee buckled over, Uotani didn't give her a chance to recover, and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, pinning her roughly against the alley wall. Somewhere in the fight, the girl's paper nurse's mask had fallen off, now draping around her neck and Arisa's tightened fingers.

"You don't know a damned thing about me or this chick," Arisa hissed at the other girl, finding that she wasn't near anything of a good fight. Just a big-talking bully. "So don't act like you do!" Her grip tightened, getting a small gasp from her opponent.

The other Yankees finally came to their senses upon seeing that Arisa held more power than she seemed to, and came to aid their friend, going for each of Arisa's arms.

"Uo-chan!" Minagi cried, knowing immediately what her arms' newfound freedom meant.

Sure enough, Arisa was now the captive one, the girls' leader was wiping off her chin and rounding on the blonde. Arisa didn't struggle, to Minagi's horror, or perhaps intrigue; somehow she could tell that Arisa would survive this, no matter the fact that she was being held back.

Arisa glanced slyly over her shoulder. Minagi had just said "Uo-chan." Like she was her friend. She inwardly laughed. She knew the kid wasn't so set on being friendless. Her attention turned to more pressing matters, her "Impending doom." Yeah, that's what she'd let the Yankees keep believing, just until the head girl took just a couple of steps towards her…

"Hold on. I've heard of you." The fellow blonde told Arisa, pausing just a few steps in front of her. "You're that Uotani bitch. Word is you went straight a few years back!"

"That's my name, don't you spoil it." Arisa retorted slyly.

"Heh, just like that Kyoko bitch, what was it, the Red Butterfly?" The blonde Yankee took a couple more steps towards Uotani. "So what, you gonna go marry some preppy prick like she did?" She leaned forward slightly as if she was cooing to a little baby, staring Arisa straight in the eyes.

Big mistake.

Arisa's foot shot straight into the girl's chin, knocking her head sickeningly backward with a deep grunt from the Yankee. The same foot then found sure footing in the girl's stomach, knocking the wind out of her, knocking her back into the wall behind her.

"Don't you ever talk about Kyoko-san and Katsuya-san that way, you stupid bitch!" Arisa's voice had found threatening volumes, Minagi's eyes widened as she watched Arisa lean out of the other girls' grasp as she yelled. Arisa felt her throat go a little scratchy. When was the last time she'd shouted like that? Then again, when was the last time someone had insulted the woman who to Arisa was so much more than just a friend's mother to her.?

She felt a bit more anger still in her system and decided to take it out on the lackeys on both her arms, whipping them both around, the girls letting go voluntarily, out of pure fear and self-preservation. Arisa raised her fists, ready for whatever it came down to. She'd always fight for Kyoko and Katsuya Honda, even though she knew if Kyoko was there she'd just tell her not to fight for her sake. That was just the kind of person Kyoko was. It actually made the fight for her honor all the more accomplishing, if that wasn't confusing enough for her.

None of the three girls made any move, but merely glared, the leader rubbing her chin. Arisa took pride in the fact that her chin would probably hurt even more in the morning, and for a fair few days afterward and hopefully it would even turn purple. Serves her right, talking about Tohru's parents like that!

Arisa lowered her hands, but still held that threatening aqua gaze at the Yankees that proved to be her underlings.

"Don't let me catch you guys again, or you'll hurt a Hell of a lot more. And leave this chick alone, or it goes double." Arisa motioned to Minagi. "You got that!" Her voice threatened over the girls, who merely slunk out of the alleyway, each contributing their own look of loathing to the former Yankee.

In just seconds, the world was quiet again.

"Yo," Arisa turned cheerfully with her signature peace sign at the ready.

"Uh…Hi. Thanks, for all that, I mean." Minagi shyly told the girl, replacing her bag of ramen and soba on her arm. She noted that she'd lost track of hear pear after only one bite, after being grabbed by those girls. Great, now her stomach would be complaining all the way home. She began that walk home, stepping out of the dark alley and into the moon and street light.

"Hey." Arisa's voice followed her, to her dismay. She paused only out of politeness. Curse that stupid politeness!

"What was up with you today?" Arisa stood next to Minagi now, sorting out the blonde bangs that had been disturbed in the small brawl with the other Yankees. "Why'd you run?"

Minagi peered at the silver bathed concrete. It had come to this, after all. She'd hoped it wouldn't, but seriously, that had been a lost cause from the beginning, she knew.

"He was upset when you left." Arisa continued at Minagi's silence. "That Momiji kid was."

Minagi felt the blood rush to her face. Why bring him into this?

"Hatsuharu was a little odd too, but that may not be such news to me, that kid's an enigma, just like the rest of 'em…The Sohmas, I mean." Arisa pulled out her pony-tail loop, re-sorting her blonde locks. She decided now to be quiet and wait for the other's response.

Minagi said nothing still, wondering if she should, or if Arisa would try to stop her if she just ran home.

"You're new, I know that. But why the Hell don't you want to be with anyone?" Arisa asked Minagi, in what sounded like an honest voice that was trying to understand. Suddenly, after a few more seconds, Arisa broke into suppressed laughter.

"What are you…?" Minagi blushed, wondering what on earth would be so funny in this situation.

"You…You remind me of Hana-chan!" Arisa said through laughter and joyful tears. Minagi stared, wide eyed at her "friend". Hana-chan? How on Earth…

"C'mon, let's walk," Arisa grabbed Minagi's shoulder and guided her down the street that luckily led to Minagi's house. "Hana-chan, when she first came here, she was just like you. She didn't want to be with anyone, 'cause she's had some trouble in the past, she was afraid to hurt anyone near her." Arisa was now surprisingly somber, reflecting on her friend's sad and frightening past.

"I know it's probably not the same for you, but something's holding you back." The former Yank looked at the younger girl, whose emerald eyes were actually following her story quite avidly. "I can tell." She smiled.

Minagi glanced back at the sidewalk. Somehow she didn't feel so on edge right now. This was probably the first time someone was talking to her like this, the first time someone seemed to relate. Except for maybe Haru earlier in the day, she thought regretfully, recalling that he seemed to have some sort of experience, according to him.

"So, you're new here, you don't want friends. I just want to know why, and so does the rest of the gang." Arisa folded her hands behind her head, walking with her elbows pointed to the starry sky. Minagi contemplated it, for once. "You don't have to tell me right now, but keep in mind, I don't like letting people isolate themselves. Just ask Hana-chan. I caught her before she had a chance to put up those damned walls... I ain't gonna leave you alone."

Minagi paused. She looked up, and somehow found them in front of her house. Apparently she'd navigated them both there, absent-mindedly. Shaking herself from the mystery, she focused on the task at hand. 'I ain't gonna leave you alone.' Those words echoed through her mind. She thought back to Hana-chan, another isolationist of the group.

"I…" Minagi began, not knowing where she was going with it. Her walls were falling, whatever walls there actually were standing to begin with. She was learning that she really was terrible at this isolation thing. Even Arisa Uotani, the former Yankee, the tough girl of the group was trying to understand what was bugging her. She had that sense of tough love about her.

"This is the third time I've moved." She put simply, suddenly becoming very interested in her front lawn. "It may not be my last."

"That's it?" Arisa asked blatantly, calling back Minagi's gaze. "You're just worried about having to move again, and leaving whatever friends you have?"

Minagi blushed deeply. This girl had read her far too well. She couldn't bring herself to say anything more, and settled on keeping that gaze on her perfect grass in her yard.

The silence was interrupted by Arisa again, this time in the form of giggling. Minagi thought briefly that giggling seemed strange, coming from this girl. Still, it seemed welcome.

"I just remembered, back in that alley," Arisa started, pulling that pesky curtain of bangs on the right side of her face out of her vision. Minagi stared at her again, admiring to herself how pretty her bleached hair looked in the silver light of the full moon. "You called me Uo-chan." She grinned at Minagi, who in return, blanched, realizing that was true.

"N-No, I didn't mean that…You…" Minagi stammered, at the receiving end of friendly teasing. For some reason she was enjoying it, somewhere deep in the part of her that she had tried to lock away for the past twelve hours.

"Whatever, Kuro-chan," Arisa set a hand on the younger's brunette head. "Keep denying it all you want, but…" She trailed off, her giggling being traded for a look of wise friendship.

"You really do have friends, a whole, freakish group of 'em." She smiled with a self directed joke at the girl. "When you want us, we'll be there."

Minagi felt the hand on her head ruffle up some of her hair as the taller girl turned back towards town. She stared at Arisa's back growing a little more distant, before the blonde turned again.

"Oh, and be nice to Momiji, will ya? As annoying as he is when he's bouncing off the wall, it's even more annoying when he's depressed." With that, Arisa continued off to return to work. Her smiling face faded as she remembered the two words that had come to haunt her very being: Closing, Shift.

Minagi glowered to herself. That Yank had cracked her open and read her like a book. It had been so easy. She really did suck at this.

Her head met the door with a thump as her quavering hand fumbled with her new house key, that refused to oblige her requests of letting her in. Finally after a few skirmishes with the plated piece of metal, she won the war, allowing her entrance to the front room. She peeled off her coat and boots in one quick movement, and set out for the kitchen.

She stared into the bubbling rage of the boiling water minutes later, that conversation with Uotani still fresh in her mind.

'_When you want us, we'll be there.'_

'_You really do have friends.' _

She turned off the stove coil with a sharp snap of the dial and poured the hot water into the bowl that contained her block of dehydrated ramen, silently cursing her failures of walls to eternal damnation the whole time.


	5. Visits of Denpa Waves

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-:** Wow, it's been three weeks since I updated in here? Dang! I honestly have no excuse, I updated LtLA in the Spirited Away section last week after waiting for two weeks, for whatever reason, and before I knew it, another week had gone by! Augh, it's so frustrating. And now it is almost Christmas. I got some shopping done last night, but ended up only getting a gift for one friend. –sweatdrop- Why my mom and I always end up going to the mall only a couple of hours before closing time, I may never know… Then there's some pictures I need to get to drawin' for my boyfriend's gift. Oy! –buries self underneath pile of sketchbooks- I'll be right here if anyone needs me…

Well, not much to say on this chapter, it's short and has got a lot of dialogue. And a visit from everyone's favorite Denpa! I especially liked the little exchange at the end with Tohru and Hana…I just found it so cute, I was so proud of myself…I was almost tempted to put in a little side romance between Hana and Tohru(shojo-ai! Squee!) but I already have it established that it's Kyoru goin' on in the background. TohruHana still remains a favorite pairing of mine, though. Anyway, back to the real topic, here; I hope I did ok with trying to depict the hilarious insanity of the Sohma's! A bit more German in this one too, but, like I promised, translations are at the bottom of the page!

Reviewers! However few you guys are, I am grateful to everyone of you! –hugs-

**Lia Mac'Kuttler**: Thank you so much! While writing this, I actually found that Minagi could be related to a variety of the characters…especially the Sohma clan. Ah, we'll see how it all comes together. –shifty eyes- They should get along quite well, ne?

**Struggling Artist: **Hey there! Well, thing is, if you had looked at my profile earlier, it probably would have been blank…I only just recently created it! Lol! How long have you been a fruits basket fan? And seriously, I'm your first FB fanfic? O.O I will do my best! –bows- anyhow, thank you, thank you, for all the reviews you've given me!

-bows out and allows the story to resume…finally! –sweatdrop- -

**Chapter 5- Visits of Denpa Waves**

'_I don't need you anymore.'_

'_I'm tired of you.'_

These words usually haunted the placid ox of the Zodiac, but this afternoon they were becoming particularly frequent. How long had it been since he'd been with Isuzu in a peaceful setting? When they were still together?

His blue eyes opened half-way, staring at the ceiling above him, remembering the last time he'd been allowed to see her in the hospital, which was a fair few months beforehand, she'd actually used her I.V. to fend him off.

Yes, Isuzu Sohma was the extreme version of Minagi Kurosaki, alright. That was Haru's musing as he listened to the sound of tapping computer keys in the background. Near him, Shigure was busy at work with another manuscript that would no doubt eventually become the bane of his poor editor's existence. It would be hidden from her, waved in front of her face, pursued by her, everything except directly given to her upon completion. No wonder poor Mitsuru wanted to end her existence whenever a deadline rolled around. With what the shameless dog put her through, Haru could completely understand.

Minagi flashed into his mind again, for what seemed like the millionth time that afternoon. Everything about her reminded him of his Rin. She didn't seem to want anything to do with them. She wanted to carry whatever burden she had by herself. For some reason she wanted to be left alone. These characteristics could be said of either girls, Rin or Minagi.

But their motives for this behavior, he couldn't understand. With Rin, he only knew what little Tohru had hinted at. He knew she had become friends with the horse of the Zodiac, and she'd once assured him that her erratic behavior was for the better, that hopefully, in the end, it would be to the benefit of all. That Rin was doing it for him. She hadn't clarified on what exactly "it" was.

Haru grinned, his forearm covering his eyes from the harsh light of Shigure's office. He had never thought it possible for Tohru Honda to be vague, even cryptic. That answer to him had only brought up more questions, more mystery. Still, he willed himself to give Rin space, give her the time she needed to do whatever it was she had to do. He didn't like it, leaving her to suffer alone, being apart from her for so long, but knowing her, it'd probably be more healthy for the both of them if he allowed her the space she demanded.

He only latched onto Tohru's hopes that it would all end well, whatever it was that was happening.

But meeting Minagi, a near copy of his love, that gave another shock to his system, stirred up all those feelings of distress, mystery, loneliness and fear that had only just settled at the bottom of his heart. Like throwing a rock into a pond that had only just settled into peacefulness, he thought.

The ox's hearing picked up the sniffing of a dog, the dog of course being Shigure, the overgrown pup at the computer.

"Oooh, It smells like Tohru-kun has dinner ready, Hatsuharu!" the dog told his younger cousin with glee. The ox lifted his leather borne wrist off his face, allowing the light to assault his eyes again.

The inu bounded out of the room like the hyper, food-driven creature he was, while Haru sat up, contrastingly lethargic. All this thought was making his mind muddy with sleep. His homework hadn't even been touched, and he was sure that he'd hear about it come first period the next day. He and Momiji had actually come to Shigure's straight from school, for no apparent reason. The rabbit and the nezumi were working on their school work in the front room, patient and busying themselves as dinner was prepared, while Tohru worked in the kitchen. As for Kyo, Haru grinned slyly as he knew that the neko had been usually somewhere between working in the kitchen with Tohru or working on his own homework in the eating room. He knew as well as almost everyone that the two of them were a blossoming couple, even if the two of them themselves couldn't see it.

"Ah, dinner is ready, Hatsuharu-san!" Tohru peeked her brunette head into Shigure's study, finding Haru still in thought, but now sitting up. He gave an assuring smile to the girl, and hauled himself up to follow after her.

Haru came into the room, finding Momiji in a friendly chat with Tohru as she dished out servings to everyone's plate. Shigure watched with just as much anticipation as gratitude as a helping was spooned onto his plate, allowing its scent to ride up to his keen nose with the steam. It was hard to resist, for the novelist, so he took to starting up a conversation in order to distract himself.

"So, Hatsuharu tells me there was a bit of commotion at lunch today!" Shigure observed, causing Tohru to toss her head up to pay attention, Momiji's head to turn. Yuki sat down, peacefully, and Kyo looked as he normally did, staring off, not showing that he cared at all. He nabbed a bit of his food before a little prayer could be told, or even the last person, Haru, could be served.

Yuki, for that reason, smacked the neko upside the head. It was probably, in retrospect, bad to seat the two next to eachother…

"Yes, Kurosaki-san, she was so shy," Tohru said sadly.

"She's really nice, Shigure-nii, but for some reason, Minagi-san doesn't want us…" Momiji said, broken-heartedly. He recalled his last attempts at winning her back. "Any of us."

"Perhaps it was all just too much for her, meeting us all at once." Yuki contributed, picking some vegetables in his dish. "I mean, our group can be quite…boisterous." He contemplated his last word, trying to find an adjective that fit.

"Pfft. 'Boisterous?' Who uses that word anymore?" Kyo retorted, finding somewhere to pick his daily fight. He stuffed another morsel of Tohru's dinner into his mouth, and said thickly, "'sides, why you guys care so damn much about that girl? She obviously wants to be alone."

His mouthful of a complaint was met with another smack, compliments of Yuki.

"Baka Neko, don't talk with your mouth full." The nezumi grumbled, violet eyes lidded in frustration. It was comparable to living with a toddler, he mused. "If you ever bothered to even look at a dictionary, maybe you'd find a great well of material to replace your shoddy vocabulary. And excuse us for caring about another human being, not like we'd expect you to understand, Baka Neko."

Kyo rubbed the back of his head sorely, glaring at the young man next to him. Tohru could only watch from the sidelines and hope for the mood of the meal that this argument didn't heat up any more into a fight. She knew, though, the look Kyo had on his face now was Kyo's version of remorse. She'd come to be able to read the neko and his moods quite well, and under the mask of a scowl, she knew there were other emotions that went on. There was just a little thing called pride getting in the way of letting those emotions actually display themselves. She smiled as she took a bite out of her meal.

"Yes, but Minagi-san almost acts like a Sohma, the way she isolates herself!" Momiji declared between grateful bites of his own vegetable plate. "It's almost like Minagi-san is cursed too! Haru sees it too, she is just like Isuzu sometimes!"

Half of the group looked at the rabbit, and the ox, a bit of melancholy in their faces. Haru made no motion, but met all their eyes, carrying all the confirmation in his own that they needed.

"Well, if indeed she is like Isuzu," Shigure put in, a thumb and forefinger framing his chin in his signature pose, "Then she must be very good looking. Another pretty girl to possibly bless my abode with a visit, Ah, I'm truly lucky!" He glanced over the table, a familiar, and very Shigure-like glint to his eyes. What he found were several familiar glares.

"Sensei," Haru said lethargically, bringing his food-bearing chopsticks to his mouth. "You should not say those things. This isn't the best time for your perverted humor."

Yuki glanced at the ox, almost expecting more from him; Shigure had, after all mentioned Rin, and not exactly in the most prudent manner. He let out his held breath as he saw the expressionless face the boy was wearing. Though Shigure immediately stuffed some food into his mouth, perhaps to keep himself from making any more comments that might bring out Black Haru. With a mutter sounding of 'baka inu,' the nezumi turned his attention back to his food. Tohru, meanwhile, picked at her plate, reflecting on the roof incident herself.

"Like the Juunishi, Kuro-chan must have things in her past that hurt her. They couldn't be the same types of hurt, but they are painful to her all the same." She stared sadly at the table, not hearing Kyo's groan.

"Dammit, now all this talk about this Minagi chick is depressing everyone!" Kyo fumed, taking a look at both Momiji and Tohru's downward look, Yuki's pensive one, Haru's stare that was blank, but nonetheless full of thought. Shigure seemed to be the only one not affected by the melancholy air, aside from the cat, of course. "Just quit thinking about it, or you'll all get these two bawling all over the table!" Kyo's finger indicated Tohru and Momiji, who were now staring at him with wide open eyes.

"Kyo, come on, you can't say you don't care at all," Momiji suggested, leaning on his knees across the table as if to assert himself even more into the cat's vision.

"I don't! And you, hush! You started this conversation!" Kyo's anger turned to Shigure, who was now laughing at the exchange behind his hand. Count on the dog to make light of such a situation. "I'm telling ya, if the kid wants to be alone, then leave her alone! If she wanted to be your little buddy, she'd say so, and this wouldn't be happening, the rabbit wouldn't be getting so worked up and he wouldn't be dragging Tohru down with him!"

"Oh, I see!" Momiji suddenly brightened with a laugh.

"What, now you're happy?" Kyo retorted, his face looking as if he'd just eaten something rotten.

"Kyo just doesn't want Tohru to be sad!" Momiji said matter-of-factly. "Kyo's just angry 'cause she's sad for Minagi-san!"

Kyo turned his head away, not believing what he was given to deal with as relatives. Tohru, meanwhile, was watching the exchange now, brown eyes wide, a clueless look on her face.

"Don't you live somewhere else, rabbit?" Kyo muttered, trying to keep the temperature down in his cheeks.

"Admit it, Kyo, you just like Tohru, and you don't want to see her cry!" Momiji accused of Kyo, pointing a finger straight at the cat's flame colored eyes.

"Eh?" Tohru began going into fluster mode, at the look of Kyo's face; it was reddening, and obviously to the discontent of Kyo himself, and his crimson eyes seemed to be blazing, shooting an inferno of intensity at Momiji. Yes, if she could read into anything of this moment, it was that Kyo was just seconds away froman outburst.

"Gah, come over here, rabbit, so I can see you cry when I _pummel_ you!" Kyo raged, figurative cat ears pressed flat against his orange hair. His chopsticks lay forgotten, tossed into his bowl, as he now rolled up the sleeves of his sweat shirt, displaying trained fists.

Even over the racket, Tohru glanced behind her to the entrance room door, swearing that she heard the ring of a doorbell.

"I'll get that, if no one else will." Haru said, a voice of calm, as Kyo leaned over the table in attempts to grab Momiji by the shirt.

"Oh, no, that's fine, it's..You're a guest, Hatsuharu, I couldn't ask…" Tohru stammered, the pressure in the room starting to go to her head. An argument, a new guest at the door and a current guest taking a duty to answer the doorbell's call was simply too much for the poor girl.

"Tohru, I'm already up, and halfway there." Haru said, passing the fluttery brunette, placing a hand on her head in a pat. His face tilted with a smile, "I'll be fine, it's no trouble."

"Kyaah! Gure-nii, make him stop!" Momiji was heard as crying through Haru and Tohru's conversation. The dog, apparently, was staying out of this one, leaning away from the table, his plate of food clutched protectively to him. Yuki was simply shaking his head, a look of torment on his face.

"Just make sure Kyo doesn't kill Momiji, or I'll get lost trying to get home by myself." With that, Haru disappeared for the door.

And Tohru took to what she didn't do best, but always tried her hardest at; separating a batch of feuding Sohmas.

"Kyo-kun, please, dinner's getting cold," Tohru peeped timidly as the older boy somehow managed to give the blonde boy a noogie from across the table.

"Yeah, Kyo! Don't let Tohru's good food get cold!" Momiji managed through Kyo's elbow. "I bet she spent a lot of time to make it!"

Luckily, the boys settled back into their seats, and Shigure finally deemed it safe to return his plate to the table. Yuki was simply heard as muttering something about bakas. Haru also returned, a guest in tow.

"Hana-chan!" Tohru squealed, running to engulf her friend in a welcoming hug.

"Hello, Tohru," The gothic lace adorned girl said serenely, allowing a small smile to show for her friend. "I do hope it's not too much trouble for me to visit with no notice." Hana asked Shigure respectively and with a stoic bow. Shigure, who recalled that this was the 'psychic' friend, and recalled all too well their previous meetings.

"N-no, not at all, Saki," Shigure looked playful, hiding his apprehension that always came when this girl did.

"Oh! I'll go get you some dinner, Hana-chan, I think I still have some leftover!" Tohru suggested brightly before scampering off to the adjacent kitchen.

"Only a little, Tohru, thank you." Hana said, folding her gloved fingers in front of her full length black dress.

The new guest sat herself down at the table just next to where Tohru had just been, lowering herself onto folded knees and smoothing out her gothic style of dress, a look as placid as Haru's on her pale face. She looked up mystically, finding eyes of amethyst, grey and blue on her. She did nothing to acknowledge Yuki, Haru and Shigure's gaze upon her, but took readings of the air around them.

'Chaos, as always.' She told herself, sensing that there had been a scuffle in here not too long before she had come in. The readings around these Sohmas were always chaotic, more so than any other person she'd yet met. It was quite odd, and sometimes distracting, as their waves were loud as well as hyperactive, but she had come here for a reason and couldn't distract herself with looking too far into it.

"Here you are, Hana-chan, I hope you enjoy it!" Tohru rejoined them, setting a plate of fish and vegetables before her friend. Hana smiled at her friend, and took a small bite of the serving.

"So, ah, Saki, what brings you here?" Shigure began nervously, after a few moments of silence in which it felt that every eye was on the stoic newcomer. Saki calmly set her pair of chopsticks down, and began.

"I ran into Arisa on the streets this fine evening," she told them, indigo eyes scanning for reactions. "And it seems that Arisa ran into someone else in the night before me."

Shigure's face faltered at the vague explanation; then again, what was he expecting? A straight answer?

"Ooh, who did she run into?" Momiji asked, leaning out of his seat, as if they were listening to some exciting, epic story.

"It seems that Kuro-chan went to the store where Arisa works. There, she ran into some Yankees, and Arisa came to offer her help to fend them off." Hana explained monotonously and mistily.

"Yankees? Ungluck!" Momiji exclaimed, leaning impossibly farther out of his seat.

"Oh my, is she alright? Oh! What about Uo-chan, she's ok, right?" Tohru added in a panic, wringing her hands together in front of her.

"Yes. Both of them are fine. But it is what was said and done after this incident that I have come to share with you." Hana-chan said, turning to each of the students of the group. Her mouth lifted slightly at the corners into a trace of a smile, and she explained calmly.

"She called Arisa 'Uo-chan.' This is what Arisa has told me." Tohru immediately lit up at this. "This, and a little more was revealed about our reluctant friend to Arisa."

Several strange-colored eyes gazed at her, wide and expectant. Tohru herself was very excited, she would possibly finally know what in the girl's past made Minagi hurt so much. Momiji was eager as well, even more so than normal, anyway; he didn't want Minagi to suffer alone anymore. He knew firsthand what it was like.

"As it turns out, Minagi and her mother have moved more than once. She is afraid of moving again, of leaving her friends behind again. She wants to be lonely, so she does not get attached, but her waves also cry out for friendship. For love." Hana took a small bite of food again. "She doesn't want to be alone, but she doesn't want more heartbreak, if she indeed must move again."

By this point, Tohru was nearly in tears, suddenly realizing it made total sense. Being alone was terrifying, she knew that. But having to leave friends behind, possibly never to see them again, even leaving someone you love, that would be heart wrenching. She could easily see how Minagi was so conflicted. Momiji seemed to understand as well, as his brown eyes sank, and became a little more moist; not as moist as Tohru's, but enough to be on the verge of tears with her.

"Wie schade…" He said to the table, solemnly. He looked up suddenly. "But, if we were friends with her, and she had to move, we could write, right?"

"Judging from the waves the girl puts out, I would predict that she has had experience with those who are not keen on returning letters after a while. It's a pity to rely on such people for long-distance friendships, but is most likely the circumstance that Minagi is facing." Hana analyzed. "Unfortunately, if one is exposed to such circumstances enough, one will surely begin to believe that it is the norm. That this will happen everywhere they go, that they will encounter the same types of people. And for Minagi, this has so far proven to be true."

"Ja, ja, but we really _would_ write, wouldn't we?" Momiji prodded, looking to the others for support.

"Oh, yes! I would love to have a pen pal, if Minagi really had to move," Tohru's shaky voice sounded first.

"Dammit, don't look at me, rabbit, she's your friend!" Kyo growled.

Haru responded with silence.

"Momiji," Yuki said, a little uneasy. "I'm sure that is what her other friends said before she left the other places, Kurosaki-san has been almost conditioned to know that people who even say that they will write, won't write."

"But Minagi must have hope!" Momiji stated matter-of-factly. "We can show her that not everyone is going to abandon her!"

"You're looking way too far into this, rabbit." Kyo groaned, tired with the current conversation. "I'm going to bed, if this is all we're going to talk about." With that, the cat stood, his empty dishes in hand, and ventured to the kitchen on his way out, while Tohru flailed and shot out reasons he should stay, Momiji sent him a pouty little glare as if to say, 'fine, be that way.'

"Meanie." Momiji murmured as the cat left their sights.

"Momiji," Hana called the bright-eyed rabbit's attention back to herself. "I admire your tenacity, you have a very good aura around you." She took a sip of her tea. "I think it would be good of you to share that aura with Minagi, she needs your unconditional kindness." Hana unleashed the first actual smile of the night. Momiji stared at her for a moment. "The Denpa tell me, that somehow, it is you that could have the most profound impact on her, to show her ultimately that she does not need to be alone to save herself from heartbreak."

After a few seconds of silence, Momiji's face lit up.

"Danke, Hanajima-senpai!" He squeaked, bowing in his seat to her. His face rose, to be replaced with an expression of determination. "Keine angst, I will do my best to help Minagi-san feel at home here!"

Hana's face lit up slightly with her rare smile, her half-lidded indigo eyes seeming to smile with her, underneath the crystal haze in them. With another sip of tea, she began to rise, running her hands down the length of her dress as she rose, smoothing out any creases that may have misplaced themselves during her visit.

"Well, I must go, now that I have shared what I wished to share. I must return home for my own dinner, lest my parents worry; I originally set out for a walk." The girl gave a slight bow to her hosts, and allowed Tohru to lead her enthusiastically to the door.

"Thank you so much for coming to see us, Hana-chan!" Tohru told her friend, opening the outer door before Saki could manage to get there to do it for herself.

"Yes, take care, Tohru," Hana replied mistily, indigo eyes softening on her best friend.

Tohru clapped her hands together once, as if she were an excited child. "If there is anything Hana-chan can suggest that I do for Minagi-san, I would not hesitate to do it!" She told her friend hurriedly, for matters of the new girl's similarities to the Sohma family still weighing on her mind, however, she knew that she couldn't ask full out, lest she divulge the family's secret curse. Hana smiled simply at her brunette friend.

"The only thing Tohru-kun needs to do," Hana-chan said, leaning her forehead onto Tohru's, "Is to be herself. It has worked so much in the past, saved many from loneliness already." Her indigo eyes sparkled before they drifted off to look at a point behind Tohru.

"Y-yes, Hana-chan, I will do my best," Tohru was heard stammering as if tears were seconds from springing forth. Hana, however, had just noticed a presence behind her as the brunette spoke.

"Good evening, Kyo," She said detachedly, nodding slightly into Tohru's head at the cat, who was now coming down the stairs.

"Oh! Kyo-kun! A-are you hungry? You left dinner so soon, I was wondering…" Tohru flustered, turning on the spot, only to be hushed by Kyo placing a single finger on her mouth.

"Hush, will ya? I'll eat something if you're that worried about it, just quit freakin' out!" Crimson eyes migrated to meet with stoic indigo, considering them too foreboding to keep the gaze. Flames met again with Tohru's chocolate brown, and he sported a little Kyo-grimace, to hide the fact that her enormous, caring eyes were sending him into a puddle on the floor. "I just came down for some water. The rabbit's done crying over that girl, isn't he?" Tohru could only fluster a little more when he lifted his touch from her lips, mostly about Momiji's current choice of conversation-which she wasn't aware of- and mostly _because_ of the touch. Kyo rolled his eyes, and ruffled her soft hair playfully.

"You leavin', or somethin'?" Kyo said nonchalantly to the front room's other occupant.

"Indeed," Hanajima replied just as listlessly, before moving to Tohru's side, to take her friend in loose hug around the shoulders. She peered over Tohru's shoulder, through her long hair and into those eyes of flames, giving him one last farewell. "Treat my Tohru kindly, Kyo-kun."

With that, the guest turned back towards the door and helped herself out, shutting the door behind her softly. Kyo was left staring at Tohru, wondering how on earth she came across such an odd friend. He went to scratch the back of his head casually, smirking a bit.

"What is she, your guardian? Talkin' like that, sheesh, you'd think she was givin' you away as a bride!" Kyo turned towards the kitchen, and Tohru immediately flustered after him in true Tohru fashion.

"Hana-chan isn't exactly like that, Kyo-kun, Hana-chan is just…a friend," She smiled up into his eyes now, finding them wide as he looked at her, his hand frozen on the sliding door to the eating room, wherein the chatter of a rabbit and a dog and at times an ox could easily be heard.

"Hana-chan is just a very, very good friend. Just like Kyo-kun." She beamed at him, her entire expression softened. Kyo had to roll his eyes to keep from giving her too much of the same look.

"C'mon, you, I bet you've been so worried, that you barely touched your food. Eat." Kyo demanded her, sliding the door open and shooing her in. She turned to give him a puzzled look, to which he responded, herding her to her seat on the floor. "Eat, you! You worked hard to make this stuff, so enjoy it already!"

"Oh, yes, yes, Kyo-kun, thank you," Tohru stammered politely, taking a hold of her chopsticks and continuing where she left off.

Then, as Kyo took his seat, Momiji decided to speak to him, that is to say, teased him over his relationship with Tohru Honda. A fight between a cat and a rabbit soon ensued, once more.

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-** : German time!

**Ungluck**: This I remember is in the books…Somewhere…anyhow, it literally means 'unlucky.' It also is supposed to have an umlaut(the two dots) above the second 'U', but I have long since forgotten the sheet with codes to include those…-sweatdrop-

**Wie Schade**: This is like our term of 'how sad,' or 'what a pity.' So, yeah. Lol.

**Danke**: Thank you.

**Keine Angst**: 'no fear,' pretty much, it's Momiji-chan's way of saying, don't worry! Also in the manga somewhere.

**Ja**: That of course is 'yes,' in case anyone was unsure. Clarification!

So, guys, how am I doing? Feedback is loved, Flames are used to keep me warm in the chilliness of my room. It's winter!! Rawr!


	6. Dare to Believe

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-:** Yep, yep, another long spell with no updates from the catgirl! Though this time, there's an excuse other than my laziness! If you haven't read the whole spiel in my profile, here's the skinny; We got Comcast back before Christmas, and my dad hooked it up in my room, but for whatever reason it wasn't' working up here due to whatever little problem with the devices we had. So, for a while, I didn't have any internet in my room! But it's all better now, and I actually have a really long chapter. It got up to 16 pages in word…I don't know if I meant it to be that long, but, oh well. It's been a while since I updated, so it works.

Ha, evil Shitaro. You'll see. Oh, and a bit of strong language in this one, thanks to the Haru we all know and love and fangirl over!

Reviewers! Yay!

**Rynx-Too-Genki** : Oh, really? I'm sorry to hear that you moved so much, but I'm glad you like it. I've only moved once in my life, and even then, I just moved to another house in the neighborhood up the hill, but I can't imagine moving that much would be enjoyable at all. I guess Minagi is my personification of that. Anyhow, thanks so much for the review and the compliments, and I will indeed keep writing this, I'm really enjoying it!

**Struggling Artist** : My anon! Ack, thanks, I'll have to get that back up. I definitely recommend the manga, I'm not sure if I've ranted about this around here before, but the anime only covers the first eight books, and even then, that's only roughly. So a bunch of the big plot issues and such got missed out on. I like the anime and all, but yeah. I prefer the manga, and highly recommend it.

**Chapter 6- Dare to Believe**

A little tune escaped Momiji in the form of a hum all the next morning, he was more excited than ever to begin the day today. He'd been alone with the thought of being something of meaning in Minagi's life since the previous night at Shigure's house. Saki had greatly lifted his spirits at dinner, and that high had carried through to this new day.

He collected his things from around his room that he would need at school, including several sheets of completed homework papers. The boy made sure his tie was secure around the collar of his uniform, which was finally that of the boy's uniform, as he was indeed maturing as Hatsuharu had promised some student council members so long ago. He turned to his sliding glass door that led to the back yard, which was more Sohma property than his own. He drew the curtain, finding the morning sky holding a few scanty clouds, but a mostly blue sky. He smiled slightly at the fact that it would be a good day, at least in the weather department. Finding he had a bit of time before he had to leave to find Haru, he decided to step out for a bit, and sat on his porch.

His porch of his house. Well, by the books, it was his father's house. But since his father had to live with his mother and his sister elsewhere, outside the Sohma walls, it may as well have been the rabbit's house. It got so lonely in his house sometimes, and he had almost raised himself, promising both himself and his father, and even if she was unaware of it, his mother, that he'd be strong, that he'd endure it to help his mother.

He thought about this everyday, almost, he recalled how his mother had forgotten him so long ago, how a normal life of any sort had been denied to him at a very young age. He had to think about it everyday, to reaffirm that pact to keep himself strong, for the good of his tragically broken family.

He allowed himself a broad smile, remembering that Momo had watched him play the violin from this very garden a while back. And he remembered what she had said to Tohru, that she wanted Momiji to be her onii-san. His little sister was what kept him going, when he watched her from afar, she was all that mattered, not the fact that she couldn't know that he really was her onii-san. He'd often imagined what life could have been like if they were permitted to be brother and sister; even simple things, simple ideas, like being able to watch TV with each other in the afternoons, helping her with homework, comforting her if she came home crying, and in those dreams he was happy. But that's all they could be; dreams.

Momiji smiled a wide smile; it was all he could do to keep from dwelling on this injustice. He chose now to stand up, bringing his school bag with him, and turning to lock the door he'd exited through. With that, and a last look at his sister's hiding place among the shrubs, Momiji began to hum a tune and walked off to the main house's tree lined approach.

---

Minagi navigated the hallways with ease today, finding her class room quite early in the morning. There were few students there before her, and the teacher had immersed herself into a reading. This immersion, however, broke when Minagi walked in.

"Kurosaki-san, could I see you here for a moment?" She beckoned the dark-haired girl to her with a little encouragement from her hand, a smile on her face.

Minagi came to a straight-postured stance directly in front of the sensei's desk, her hands gripping the strap of her messenger bag. The teacher leaned forward, her fingers folded in front of her.

"Have you had any trouble with any of the curriculum yet?" She asked her student curiously. Minagi shook her head with a modest smile of her own, her free hair falling in waves and swaying with her motions.

"No, I got stuck a few times on some algebra, but I got by alright," Minagi said honestly. The teacher nodded.

"I hope you don't find this prying, but I notice you haven't really talked to many people in here," Minagi inwardly sighed; now her teacher was concerned about her friendlessness? What next? "Do you have any friends here, yet, are you adapting?"

Minagi's green eyes faltered a bit, remembering that one statement that had haunted her almost all night.

"_You have friends, a whole, freakish group of them…" _

"No, not really," Minagi decided to push away Arisa's voice. The teacher frowned a little, and at this she added something on. "But I have family here, so I'm not lonely, really," She said it cheerfully, with a broad, but fake smile. The teacher returned a smile, deciding that Minagi would be well enough on her own.

Minagi turned at her dismissal, and instantly, the smile she'd put there fell away.

'That was a big, fat lie…' she thought to herself bluntly, staring off and out the window. It was going to be a nice day. She took to her seat, and continued in her daze out the window. She was trying to will herself to enjoy the rare day alone, when someone seated themselves in front of her, completely facing her and leaning their arms on the back of the seat. Thinking it was Momiji, she kept her head in her hand, looking avidly out the window, finding a pair of frolicking birds to focus on.

"Hey," A voice greeted her, from the person in front of her, though not in the higher tone or utter cheerfulness that Momiji's voice possessed. The birds were forgotten, and Minagi turned finally to look with wide green eyes, and find a different boy sitting and facing her, in such a posture as if he were her best friend, in Momiji's seat.

"Uh…hi." She replied shyly, looking around the room and finding a group at the other wall looking at them, talking amongst themselves. Perhaps he'd come over on some sort of dare, she wondered. He certainly was handsome by most standards, but she somehow found herself thinking that he had nothing on the Sohma boys. Where that had come from, however, she didn't know. He did have good looks though, with perfect black hair and brown eyes; he was probably popular among the girls.

Which was proving true, as a few girls in the class were casting slightly jealous looks at Minagi now. Girls were so possessive of boys in this school, she thought with a grimace.

"Kurosaki Minagi, right?" He suggested, tossing some of his hair out of his eyes. "I'm Minekura Shitaro." He held out his hand, and it took a second before Minagi reluctantly took it, finding he had a very reassuring grip. He certainly did have the grip that was probably ideal for a boyfriend. The only thing was, she wasn't looking for one.

"Uh, hi Minekura-san…" Minagi stammered, wanting just to get away from both him and the fact that his occupation of Momiji's seat was somehow bothering her. "I really just wanted to get some work done before class, so, I—"

"Kurosaki, do you want to go out with me?" He suggested quickly, as if he were trying to change the subject.

Minagi didn't know what was freaking her out more at this moment, the fact that he had interrupted her, the fact that he was asking her out, or the fact that he wasn't in the least shy about it. In fact, he was now looking at her with expectance and confidence that was bordering cockiness in his eyes. And was it just her, or were his eyes wandering just a bit south every now and then?

"What?" was all Minagi could manage, her emerald eyes wide, her hands frozen in the task of opening the zip on her bag.

"Go out with me." Shitaro leaned closer, grinning at her. "I want you to go out with me. You're really cute, you know that?" He smiled, cocking his head slightly, as if it would win her over.

Minagi could only blush profusely and try to keep a lid on her emotions, which were bubbling up, making her want to run out the door. Why couldn't he just get out of Momiji's seat and get lost?

She suddenly preferred the company of the Yankees she'd run into the previous night, which was saying something indeed. At least they weren't trying to check her out…

---

"Momiji," Haru monotonously said to the blond boy walking next to him. "You're doing it again."

Momiji looked up at his cousin, a look of question on his face.

"Doing what?" the rabbit asked innocently, brown eyes meeting blue in a sideways glance.

"You're humming again." Haru said simply. "And frankly, I'm surprised you're not skipping along with it."

Momiji kept his puzzled look on Haru, who meanwhile looked ahead, expressionless. He turned his face to Momiji's, though, and his blank face turned into a little grin for his cousin. Momiji smiled too, and they both set their sights ahead, towards the classroom.

"I wonder if Minagi-san will open up today," Momiji wondered cheerfully, putting his hands together behind him. Haru, however, was preoccupied, finding something through the glass of the classroom's hallway window that made him stop in his tracks.

"Hmm? Haru? Was geht's?" Momiji turned when he noticed his companion was no longer with him. He walked slowly up to the ox, finding his blue gaze directed towards something on the other side of the glass.

Momiji looked, but whatever it was, it was being blocked by a knot of his classmates that appeared to be talking animatedly, some pointing, and even a couple glaring…the glaring people all being girls. The rabbit looked back at Haru, finding the ox's gaze ever the same, though his eyes seemed to be carrying a bit of…anger? Momiji suddenly became a little worried, fearing Black Haru, and hurried to the other boy's opposite side.

Pressing his palms flat against the window, his blonde hair grazing the glass, Momiji could now see what the center of attention was. He let out a gasp.

"Minagi-san!" Momiji squeaked, finding the girl in conversation with none other than…

"Shitaro…" Haru muttered, calling Momiji's attention to his side of the glass.

"Haru, look! She's talking to him! Maybe she's trying to make a friend!" Momiji said innocently, pointing through the glass.

"With Shitaro?" Haru said coolly, before changing his demeanor a little. "That guy isn't after friendship when he talks to girls." He told his relative coldly.

"Yes, but…" Momiji tried to find a come back, but couldn't; he knew just as well as Haru about the reputation of Shitaro Minekura; he was usually one of the boys of the school who girls turned to worshiping if they fell through with Yuki. In turn, Shitaro took full advantage of that. In the past year or so that Momiji had known of him at this school, he couldn't count how many girls had some sort of relationship with the guy.

"Hmm. Yeah." Haru said, almost to himself. "Momiji. Look at her. Do you think she's the one trying to make friends?"

Momiji quickly looked back at the two, Minagi and Shitaro. Shitaro seemed to be having fun, like it was a challenge to him, and Minagi…Well, Momiji had seen that look before. His attention returned to the guy trying to win her over, and suddenly, Momiji, the peaceful, cheerful rabbit, became angry. At least he could take a hint and see when someone was uncomfortable; at least Momiji cared about Minagi's feelings. But this Shitaro…he was probably just trying to use her. He was ignoring the look on her face that screamed with unease.

"Momiji, what are you doing?" Haru asked, but didn't bother to stop his cousin as the blonde marched past him. He had seen a glint in those brown eyes that he'd never seen there before.

"Minagi isn't happy. She may not like me, but she doesn't like Shitaro any more." Momiji declared, as he reached the classroom door and turned into it, trying to keep up his happy aura.

Past the knot of gossipers he went, straight to his desk, where an uninvited person was making himself comfortably slumped over the back of the seat. Minagi finally noticed the blonde boy, finding a look of masked annoyance on his face, an unfamiliar glint in his brown eyes. He leveled himself with them, standing beyond his desk, as if he were about to sit down, were there not someone already filling the duty. He cast a smile to Shitaro.

"Excuse me, but I think you're in my seat," Momiji said, sinking into a bow. Minagi slumped in her seat, clutching a text book over her chest, relieved beyond all reason that Momiji had shown up. Shitaro wouldn't leave her alone.

"Well, if it ain't 'Shojo'," Shitaro grinned, narrowing his eyes at the blonde boy. "Hey, Minagi, you know, this kid used to wear a girl's uniform! I bet he's jealous of how yours looks on you," he added, a glint in his eyes.

Minagi scowled at him, and clutched her book ever tighter in her hands. Momiji felt a flash of something in him at Shitaro's remark, together with Minagi's reaction. And he was sure it was anger…No, perhaps it was fury. Which, considering his zodiac animal, was a very unfamiliar thing to him.

"I'm going to have to ask you to leave, Shitaro-san." Momiji told the other teen calmly. Shitaro merely responded with a stare.

"What, can't take a joke, Shojo?" He laughed, lifting himself out of the chair, coming to a good half a foot above Momiji's height. Momiji built himself up, trying to look at least a little bigger.

"You can call me whatever you want, but please leave Minagi alone if you can't show her decent respect, that's all." Momiji managed to keep his voice somewhat of his cheerful self. He somehow managed to say this with a smile.

Shitaro took a slight step forward, while the teacher at her desk flipped a page of her book, not knowing of the growing tension in the room.

"And what are you going to do about it, Chibi-Sohma?" He laughed, folding his arms across his chest as if in competition to the other, smaller boy. "You going to fight me?" he added with a jeer.

Minagi looked up at them, leaning forward slightly, ready to leap up and out of her chair if it came down to something. She never wanted Momiji to get involved with her problems, especially if it ended up hurting him.

"I'm not fighting you, Shitaro. I am only asking you to be nice to Minagi. You weren't being nice just now." Momiji looked at the other, his arms slightly tensed at his sides, his hands beginning to shake a little.

Shitaro rolled his eyes.

"Cut the crap, Chibi-Sohma. If you think you can win her over with your cross dressing, then you're—" He would have continued, if not for the hand taking a firm grip on his shoulder and turning him with a jerk to see a pair of ice blue eyes looking at him.

"That's enough." Hatsuharu said calmly, but somehow managing to include a menacing aura to his voice. "Go back with your friends. This 'conversation' is over. And I am not someone you want to piss off." He glared all out at Shitaro, who seemed to almost flinch in the icy blue gaze.

Minagi herself shrank a little, just seeing the near one-eighty that his mood had taken, wondering where, from his sky blue eyes those ice ones had come. She heard a chatter of gossipers off to the side somewhere, probably murmuring about the new development with both Sohma's coming to keep the new girl from Shitaro. Rumors were probably being born in this moment, she bemusedly observed.

"Alright, fine," Shitaro said, with a slight hint of panic in his voice, raising his hands a bit as if he were being arrested. He began walking away, finding a path that passed Minagi. Somehow finding the smugness to throw a wink to her, he left her. "Keep that offer in mind, ne?"

Minagi purposely missed his wink, hiding her eyes under a curtain of wavy bangs. Momiji stared after the popular Shitaro, who was now mingling with his own friends again almost as if nothing had happened. For the first time in his life, Momiji felt truly angry at someone. Sighing and letting his tense arms go slack again, he sank into his seat, taking note of Haru's current mood; the ox's eye color was usually a good indicator of which stage the boy was in.

Haru, he noticed, was already sitting, slumped in his chair, and staring ahead. His eyes were returning to their true blue shade, a good sign. Momiji let out a quiet breath of relief and directed his own gaze towards the front of the classroom, ready for the lesson, and not quite sure of how Minagi would react if he tried talking to her right then; she would surely been stressed enough, with Shitaro, the class player, having just pestered her. He supposed that he'd try later to fulfill Hanajima's Denpa observation.

"M…Momiji…" A voice said quietly behind the blonde boy, causing his brown eyes to become almost as big as Tohru's.

Minagi still wasn't sure about what she was doing now, but it had to be done, if only to be gracious. She knew that the exchange between Shitaro and Momiji that had saved her from the awkward position of turning down a guy that was egotistical enough to not accept it, and he had meant to do it. What's more, she'd never seen someone go to those lengths for her, and she somehow knew that the fiery glint in Momiji's eyes was not a common one for him. He very intentionally came to her rescue, as did Haru.

It was something you'd expect a true friend to do. Someone who actually cared. And it was Minagi's first time with the experience.

Momiji turned to see Minagi at her request, a look of curiosity on his face. He found her still in an awkward position, her book still shielding her from Shitaro, who was probably checking her out from a far as they spoke; he found her green eyes peering through a curtain of brunette. Those emerald eyes shone brightly, even through her hair, and were quite stunning to the rabbit, but what really entranced him, was something else.

Minagi was smiling at him. And truly smiling, at that.

"Thanks," She said quietly before a slight pink spread across her cheeks.

Momiji brightened up immediately, giving her a thumbs-up and a wink.

"It was no problem, Minagi-san, I am happy to help you!" He smiled, his brown eyes glittering with that familiar Momiji-like glint again.

At the signal of the class bell, everyone including the rabbit and Minagi turned towards the front, and readied themselves for the lesson. Momiji was smiling so broadly, that he was almost glad that Minagi couldn't see him. Besides that, it was a bit more difficult now to keep from humming a happy tune. With the image of her rare smile in his mind, he couldn't help but carry a song in his heart the whole day.

---

Minagi paced in front of the school later that day, nearing impatience; her mother was supposedly retrieving her after school, so they could go out, and discuss something. At least, that's what her mother had told her. Though it was nearing the half-hour mark after school had let out, and Minagi was getting hungry as well. Not to mention the layers of homework in her messenger bag at the moment that needed attention; half an hour had already passed that she could have worked on that homework.

"Just like her to be late like this…" Minagi sighed as she leaned up against a wall. Hearing footsteps approach, but not seeing their source, the girl began fiddling with the strap of her bag, letting her dark brunette hair obstruct her face as someone turned the corner next to her.

The steps continued not three feet past her before they stopped and made a scuffing sound that could only be the sound of those feet turning in place. Minagi didn't look up, and hoped it wasn't the one person she didn't want to see or hear.

"Kurosaki?" That precise voice cut through her peace, making her inwardly groan. "Well, what are you still doin' here? I would have thought you'd left with your crossdressin' boyfriend!" He joked, leveling himself with her as she tossed up her head at the mention of Momiji.

"He's not my boyfriend!" She exclaimed within an instant of his remark, a slight tinge of pink staining her face. Shitaro set his hands on his hips, as if posing for the girl. He threw her a playful grin.

"He isn't? You two sure got along well today, though, you sure there's nothing goin' on there?" His brown eyes narrowed mischievously at her green ones that rolled over cheeks that deepened slightly with embarrassment.

"There's nothing between Momiji and I, alright, now just leave me alone…" Minagi looked away, not wanting to be under those brown eyes anymore.

Shitaro responded with a chuckle, and stepped forward, entering territory around Minagi that should only belong to the closest friends. Minagi looked back at him, alarmed, as he proceeded even past there, finding him towering over her, casting her in unwanted shadow, his hands pressed to the wall on either side of her shoulders.

"Well, if Shojo is nothing to you, why don't you come with me?" He gave her a smile, but it was nowhere near innocent. It was merely a smug smile that he was using to get what he wanted. Minagi shrank beneath him, sending him an angry look.

"Just leave me alone, I already told you, I'm not interested in being just another girl for you to play with!" She told him firmly, keeping her green eyes fierce, hoping they were as expressive, if only in this moment, as the Sohmas' eyes.

"Hmm, playing hard to get, and damn cute, I like that in a girl," He smirked, giving her another once-over, lingering a bit on her chest.

"My eyes are up here, Minekura!" Minagi exclaimed angrily, before trying to push through his hand. He wouldn't be so easily put off, though, as he grabbed her by the shoulders, pressing her a bit harder into the wall and forcing his brown eyes into her green ones.

"You're a real challenge, you know that? I usually have the girl by now," He told her casually.

"Yeah, you're also a big jerk, you know that? I don't know what those girls see in you." Minagi countered, tossing her shoulders against his firm grip. "They must be stupid to be with you, that or have no dignity at all!"

At this, Shitaro stared at her, almost dumbstruck. He wasn't stunned long though, he would win in the end, he always did. They were always his in the end, he could have any girl he wanted. Minagi Kurosaki wouldn't be any different.

So, he responded the only way he knew how; he leant down and forcefully kissed her.

Minagi stared at the face that had just attached itself to her own, wide eyed and completely caught off guard. She immediately began squirming against him, while his experienced tongue tried prying into her mouth without invitation. Pushing against him with her hands, she tried her hardest to distance them, at the same time leaning out of his advance. In response, he pressed her back harder into the brick wall, while his mouth took full liberty of her own. With a fierce kick to his shin, Shitaro snarled a bit into the kiss, but didn't relent. Minagi kept trying against him, but nothing seemed to work. She felt doomed now, trapped and at the mercy of this guy who only wanted her for her physical attributes.

"Shitaro!" A voice barked next to them, finally drawing his mouth from Minagi's with a bit of a start.

Minagi gasped for air, finding her breathing ragged, her shoulders still in possession of her assailant. Her rescuer was standing to their right side, a few yards away, his stance a very straight one but still holding something of a threatening aura to it. His hair waved a bit in the wind, a gleaming lemon yellow shade of blonde. Behind him stood another stiff figure, this one with a head of white and black.

"Momiji!" Minagi gasped quietly, finding familiar brown eyes gleaming with that angry glint again. Shitaro still hadn't released her, and Momiji's feelings about this were written in his near-livid eyes.

"Let her go, Shitaro." The rabbit said icily, fists tense at his sides. Minagi almost flinched, she was sure this was not normal for Momiji to be so angry, even only having known him for two days. Shitaro only laughed.

"Why, Minagi said you were nothing to her! Why should you care about her, then?" Shitaro grinned at Momiji' reaction; a fleeting glance at Minagi, one almost of hurt.

Was he really nothing to her? They'd gotten along well through out the day, almost like how friends would interact…Was that all just fake?

"Let her go." Momiji said quietly but all the firmer, casting his head slightly down to show his hostility, glaring through blonde bangs.

"Oh, I see, the feelings are one sided, then! You like her, but she doesn't want you!" Shitaro laughed, keeping his grasp on Minagi. "Just let it go, Shojo, cute girls go with hot guys, not with cross-dressing boys,"

With that, Momiji stormed up, not taking his glare off of Shitaro.

"Halt's Maul and take your own advice, because she doesn't want you either!" Momiji dared to get in his face, throwing caution to the wind. He honestly did not know what was coming over him, but it was driving him full force; it was far too strong to be simple anger. Indeed, he was furious that Shitaro had taken advantage of her, forced himself on her, but there were far more complex feelings and emotions that made the sight so much worse, and the naïve rabbit did not have the time to look into the where or why's.

Minagi was tossing in her mind what to do; Momiji obviously couldn't stand up to the muscular Shitaro, and he was nearing dangerously to a fight. By this time, and with Momiji's advance, her shoulders had been released at last, while Shitaro had backed up slightly from the rabbit, obviously just as taken back by his behavior as Minagi was.

Minagi chanced a look away from the two in front of her, who were still accusing the other of who knows what, and saw Haru. His eyes had returned to that steely ice color they had been earlier in their last conflict, and his fists were becoming a bit shaky. She looked back at the blonde and Shitaro, but still caught Haru taking a small step forward.

"If you like her so much, why don't you just tell her, then, Chibi!" Shitaro was angrily saying as Minagi came back to the happenings in front of her.

Suddenly, with those words, Momiji felt a hand grab a fistful of the back of his shirt and direct him straight for the girl leaning on the wall. His hands shot out to brace himself on the wall out of instinct before he could crash into her. Several things rushed through his mind at the close call; there was Hatori and Kana, there was Yuki and his young friends from all those years ago. Frightened brown eyes caught green ones as he kept himself from her, and Minagi was suddenly even more confused. Resisting the urging of the stronger boy was becoming harder, and this eye contact between him and her was becoming hard; Momiji was sure that she could see straight into his tortured, cursed soul. So with that, he shut his eyes to her, focusing all his strength on releasing himself from Shitaro.

Somehow, though, it didn't take long, and Momiji could suddenly stand back up. Though there was another engaging problem just behind him, he noticed as he straightened up and turned; Haru was now taking his turn with reprimanding Shitaro, and he was being much more physical with it than Momiji was.

"Hatsuharu!" Minagi cried, as the white haired boy sent another fist through Shitaro's jaw.

"Oh no…" Momiji murmured, forgetting that Minagi was behind him. "Black…He went black!"

Minagi was just about to ask what 'black' meant, when Haru's voice took over the sounds of him beating the other boy.

"You're a little Ass, you know that, Minekura?! People like you think that they get whatever they want, and it bugs the crap outta me! Then you turn on my cousin cause you can't get a date?! What a fuckin' loser!!" Another fist flew into Shitaro's stomach, earning a hefty grunt. "Leave my family out of your pathetic-ass problems!!"

"Scheisse, Scheisse…" Momiji cursed, pounding his fists on his blonde head, as if trying to jumpstart his brain. As Shitaro meanwhile threw a punch back at his assailant, Momiji suddenly stopped, apparently finding the answer. "Yuki! Yuki will know what to do…"

"Momiji, what's going on? What the Hell is wrong with him?!" Minagi cried, still pressed against the brick wall, this time on her own accord.

Momiji whirled around and saw her, looking wide-eyed and terrified. Yuki had to still be in the building, there was a student council meeting! But if they both went for him, then Haru would surely rampage out of control.

"Minagi, go get Yuki," Momiji instructed her quickly, taking a step towards her, seeing her face grow more confused. "Please, this is important, just tell him Haru snapped, and bring him here…I don't know what we can do, but if Yuki is here…Could you please?"

Minagi looked at him for a second, then tossed a glance towards Shitaro, who was being beaten up more than he defended himself. She looked back at warm but panicked brown eyes, and nodded reluctantly.

"Good, I'll try to see if I can get him to let up…" With that he turned towards the other two boys. Now Minagi was almost afraid to leave him, lest he become the next victim of either Haru or Shitaro.

She turned and headed around the corner to the front of the school building, and looking towards the front doors, and hearing Momiji try to play mediator, she saw a figure already hurrying to them.

"Sohma-san! Haru-kun, h-he snapped!" Minagi called out to the already frazzled president, using the words Momiji had given to her. She saw on Yuki's face, even from a small distance, a deepening frustration.

"I thought as much when I heard him yelling…" He came level with her and looked at her urgently, tossing his book bag to the ground. "Can you say what caused him to snap, Kurosaki-san?" Minagi gave a quick nod, whilst Yuki rolled up his sweater sleeves, as if readying himself for battle.

"Shitaro, he was…" Minagi's words caught in her throat, the anger at Shitaro boiling up again. "Shitaro was harassing me, and I turned him down, again, and he…" Yuki saw her look away in an angry blush, obviously hating saying it, but knowing she had to continue. "He forced himself on me. Both Haru-kun and Momiji-kun saw, Momiji yelled at Shitaro, and then Shitaro turned on him, then Haru…snapped, I guess."

Yuki stared at her with his amethyst eyes, a look of sympathy on his face over her story of harassment. His gaze turned back to Haru, who was now trying to ward Momiji, the self-appointed mediator off.

"Get lost, rabbit, this ass deserves everything I'm givin' him, and you know it!!" Haru shouted as he gave Momiji a shove to knock him back against the brick wall of the building.

"Momiji! Are you alright?" Yuki worriedly ran over to the blonde, and being greeted with the rabbit's usual thumbs-up and a wink, though this pose was a bit tainted with pain. Minagi joined them, looking from Sohma to Sohma.

"Shall I go get a bucket of water?" Momiji said, once he quickly regained his composure. He rubbed his shoulder a bit, where he'd mostly landed in Haru's attack.

"A bucket of…?" Yuki looked as confused as Minagi now, as he looked at his younger cousin.

"Yeah, yeah, like last time, remember? He and Kyo were fighting, and your sensei poured a bucket-full of water on both of them! Haru calmed down then, maybe we should try it again!" Momiji suggested cheerfully. Yuki looked drained, recalling that incident.

"He was angry about Rin last time, it should be easier to bring him out of it this time…" Yuki observed, stepping towards the battle field and past Minagi's puzzled look; who was Rin, anyway?

"Hatsuharu." Yuki said loudly, but serenely. Haru looked away from his opponent, or rather, his punching bag, who now leaned against a tree, gasping for breath and trying to stop his own nose from bleeding.

"Yuki, how nice of you to come see me," Haru turned to completely face his cousin with a playful smirk. Meanwhile, Shitaro managed a bit of a whimper and took the opportunity to sprint away. Haru gave him a passing glance, but didn't care enough to pursue.

"Well, I think I got through to the bastard either way," Haru assured himself, rolling his shoulder under his hand, stretching the freshly trained muscles. His eyes remained in their steely ice state, though, and so Yuki did not let his guard down.

"Haru, this is unacceptable for you to be fighting like this," Yuki told the ox, who responded quite avidly.

"Oh, come on, Yuki, you've always been the polite one, but that's just too much! I think being the president has turned you into some sort of prick!" Haru spat, crossing one arm across his chest and using the other to wipe at an injury that Shitaro had inflicted on his jaw.

"Don't use that language with me, Hatsuharu, you're starting to sound like that damned cat!" Yuki threw back, taking a few calculated steps towards Haru. "As…honorable as your intentions are for defending Kurosaki-san and Momiji, I am going to have to report you. You need to calm down and take this like a civilized person, Haru."

"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you, Princess Yuki? You'd like me to come back nice and quiet so I can hear my sentence from the administrators, right? Like a civilized person, huh? Well guess what, Yuki, you and me, we'll never be civilized." Haru told the rat, taking a few steps forward to close the gap between them. Minagi watched on in silence next to a stoic Momiji. "None of us will ever be a real part of society, don't you get it?!" Haru ranted on now in Yuki's face. Yuki was becoming more on edge; Haru was treading on dangerous topics in the presence of an outsider.

"Haru, you must calm down." Yuki stated flatly.

"We all have our goddam lives written out for us, Yuki. Someday when I graduate," Haru went on, ignoring Yuki. "I'll have to be Akito's boy toy, just like you, because that's what the brat wants—"

Minagi gasped as the usually calm and collected Yuki sent a fist across Haru's face, and his shoulders began to rise and fall raggedly. Haru, his posture being tossed by the hit, was now bent over, massaging his assaulted jaw, a look on his face that somehow expressed pensiveness. Minagi stared at Yuki's back again, watching it rise and fall as if he were resting after a sprint. That name that had been mentioned, Akito; who was that?

"Stop it, Haru…" Yuki growled low, his own violet eyes swirling with torment and anger. "This is neither the time, nor the place to discuss this, and you know it!"

"Aha. Yeah, that was a very good punch, Yuki." Haru straightened up, speaking placidly. "I'm impressed."

Minagi saw Momiji let out a breath as if he'd been holding one in for the past several minutes. She glanced back, and sure enough, Haru's eyes were calm, half-lidded, and true blue again. Whatever 'black' was, Haru had obviously come out of it.

"Yes, well, don't be, Haru. I shouldn't have hit you. What kind of example is that?" Yuki grumbled, turning and rubbing the knuckles that had made contact with Haru's jaw. "I saw no other way to stop you from discussing private matters, that's all."

Haru stared calmly at the other boy, feeling his face throb a bit from all the fighting. He then shrugged as if nothing had happened, and ran a hand through his shaven black hair. Yuki turned away, and headed for the doors, signaling Haru to come with him.

"Hmm, fighting in school again, I wonder how my mother will take this…" Haru said nonchalantly as he tagged after the older boy, suddenly obedient.

"Momiji, I do think you made the right decision in wanting to get me. Thank you." Yuki turned his amethyst eyes to the rabbit, though those eyes looked slightly more drained than needed. Momiji only gave him a smile and a nod, and was left alone with a very withdrawn, very bewildered Minagi.

Through the awkward and very heavy silence, Momiji gave a sigh.

"You see, Haru has, uh, a quick, and dangerous temper…We call him 'Black Haru' when he gets like this," Momiji tried to explain, finding it hard to do without comparing the boy to his ox counterpart. Minagi looked at him, suddenly looking as drained as Yuki did. "Just, don't get in his way when he snaps, it's really, really dangerous, even for people he knows, sometimes he just doesn't tell between us or who he's really mad at." Momiji added a warning, rubbing his throbbing shoulder. He was certain that it would soon become a bruise.

"But, how? Why is he like that?" Minagi pressed, trying to come out of her deep bewilderment.

"Well, you see…" Momiji said, unsure of how to continue. "It's just how he is, I suppose…" Momiji left it at that, leaving the conversation to the silence once more.

"Momiji, who's Akito?" Minagi asked reluctantly, fiddling again with her messenger bag strap.

Momiji froze for a second; he'd been dreading that she would ask about the Juunishi's god. He couldn't tell her, at least without talking to the others first. Haru's outburst hadn't exposed too much of the cursed lives of the Sohma's, but it had certainly led to questions that were dangerously close to it.

"Ah…" Momiji began, not wanting to look Minagi in the eye.

As if it were something to save him sent from above, a car horn sounded sharply, not far from the two, making the stressed Momiji jump.

"Mina-chan! Sorry it took so long, my meeting ran a little late!" Minagi's mother was leaning out of the driver's window of their red Honda, waving at the couple. Minagi turned back to look at Momiji, who still wore a look of awkward stress.

"I should get going, anyway, I have lot's of homework!" Momiji put on his cheerful face to cover up all the pain and anxiety the incident had brought him, and threw a wave to Minagi's mother before giving the girl herself a small smile.

Minagi watched the dismayed rabbit turn away, and had a theory on what was really eating at him. And Damn Shitaro, she thought with malice, for bringing such a lie up. She gave a signal to her mother telling her to wait.

"Momiji!" She called after the retreating blonde, running after him and grasping a bit of his long sleeve. Enormous brown eyes turned to look at her curiously.

"Momiji, don't believe what that jerk said about you being nothing to me, 'cause…It's not true." Minagi told him, fighting the increasing temperature in her cheeks. Momiji's gaze immediately softened. "You're probably the best friend I've had, and I admit that." Her eyes sank to look at the concrete below, before reassuring them into his. "No one has ever stood up for me like you and Haru!" Now not only was she fighting the color in her cheeks, but a bit of moisture that was pulling at her eyes. No way was she going to cry, even in front of her admittedly best friend!

Momiji smiled at her, a great weight being lifted off of his heart. He lifted a hand to pat her lightly on the top of her brunette head, a casual move he'd learned from both Kyo and Haru. Minagi's emerald eyes widened with the friendly gesture, and she suddenly smiled at his own carefree expression. Momiji's spirits only lifted higher with that simple thing.

"Just remember to smile more, ne? It suits Minagi-san very well!" he told her cheerfully, before turning towards home again. This time, Minagi let him slip away, and watched him go, not looking back.

"Miiina-chaaan, time to get going, the restaurant is going to be crowded if we don't hurry!" Minagi's mother called her from her Momiji-focused gaze, and she turned on her heel, not taking her eyes off her friend until the last.

So, that was it. He was her friend. It was as simple as that. He helped her, he stood up for her like no one else had ever done. If that wasn't the definition of friendship, she didn't know what else was. But would it last, that was her real problem. Would any of this last, once she would see a moving van in her driveway? Did she dare to believe that Momiji would be the sort of friend to never abandon her, no matter how far away they were?

"So, Mina-chan, who was that boy, eh?" Her mother teased as Minagi levered herself into the back seat, spreading out on her back over the bench cushion. She gave an indecisive shrug, and stared at the roof as the car hummed into motion and the school building passed by the window.

"Just a boy." Minagi told the beige interior of the car. Silence only took over for a few seconds, and Minagi distractedly peered out the back windshield, spying a cloud shaped like a rabbit drifting high above.

"Just a friend from school." She added quietly, thinking it wasn't so much an admittance as a surrender.

The rabbit above shifted just slightly, giving Minagi the impression that it was moving, and even that its cloudy features were smiling a sweet rabbit smile. She smiled at the rabbit in the heavens, and silently surrendered herself to the boy she knew that was often called the rabbit himself.

It was still strange to her, but she decided, if only for this one last time, to dare to believe that she could have a real friendship.

**-Catgirl-of-Bavaria-:** Only two German phrases this time.

**_Halt's Maul:_** Literally means, 'hold your snout' and serves as a version of 'Shut up', though the bit about the 'snout ' adds on to the insult, comparing the subject to an animal, thus having a snout. Hee hee, Shitaro is a snouted animal –snickers-

**_Scheisse:_** The German version of 'Crap,' or 'Shit.' I use this one myself quite frequently! –Grins-

Ok, I think now is a good time to ask for flames; it is freakin' freezing around here! I think I'm gonna go bury myself in my nest of blankets! Lol…Yeah, flames would actually be nice around now. At least I'd be warm.

I'm tired of the winter! Too many blizzards!


End file.
